The second Stratton Audley bi-annual Food Beer and Music Festival was held on Saturday 2nd June with some 3000 people attending including many from surrounding villages and Bicester as a result of a heavy publicity campaign to welcome everyone to the village, and in the process raise money for a number of good causes.
The weather stayed fine and the car parks filled up. Some 30+ local food, beverages & craft stalls together with a Pimms bar, Gin bar and Smoothie bar all did a roaring trade. With 12 cask ales and ciders there was something for the Dads and for the children there was a Bouncy Castle, Slide, face painting plus many other entertainments and as a special treat a beautiful 1917 Burrell steam traction engine offered free rides in a trailer all day long for the children, courtesy of local couple Robert and Ann Herring.
Burgers, bangers and a hog roast ensured no-one went hungry whilst they listened to two live sixties groups and a set of country fiddlers.
At lunchtime the Marsh Gibbon Silver Band struck up for the first time and this was followed by an enthralling dance routine by local girls from the Just Dance Company in Bicester.
To add to the sense of an old-fashioned street party, a large celebratory cake for the royal wedding was made by local baker Graham Nash and given out freely to everyone. In attendance to cut the cake were local MP for Bicester & Banbury Victoria Prentis, the Mayor of Bicester Sean Gaul and his wife, plus Miranda Markham, Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire.
There was an brief auction of some super items and the day concluded with 35 lucky winners being picked out of the drum in the Super Summer Draw. Winning numbers were:
1) 01556 2) 00445 3) 05947 4) 05147 5) 05135 6) 03682 7) 02360 8) 01522 9) 06160 10) 02754 11) 01125 12) 03610 13) 01915 14) 06069 15) 01081 16) 01686 17) 03678 18) 03855 19) 03396 20) 06721 21) 04198 22) 05163 23) 02258 24) 04139 25) 03790 26) 01785 27) 05124 28) 02402 29) 01708 30) 00933 31) 04134 32) 04029 33) 03825 34) 03260 35) 06830 36) 03623=
About 50% were won by villagers, many others from Bicester, and additionally a couple quite far afield which had to be posted namely a lady who lives in Aylesbury but works at BMW Cowley and another who lives in Oxford and bought the ticket at Impressions Beauty Salon in Bicester.
Many traders sold out and the hog roast and beer were the first to run out and later in the day the burgers.
Do check out the Facebook pages for Stratton Audley Parish Council and also the Stratton Audley Food Beer & Music Festival as there are some great photos to view.