THE Festival of Thrift, a yearly attraction which brings 45,000 tourists to Darlington, could move to Redcar under a new proposal.

The festival is a yearly celebration of sustainable living which has been held in Darlington since 2013.

The festival’s organisers have proposed to move this year’s festival to Kirkleatham, Redcar - although they plan to return to Darlington in 2017.

Festival director Stella Hall said: “I’d be delighted to head out to Redcar this year.

The Northern Echo: LAST TIME: A stall at the Festival of Thrift, in Lingfield Point, Darlington, last year

"Redcar received such a huge blow in 2015 with the demise of the steel works which coincided with last year’s festival.

“The Festival of Thrift is dedicated to shining a light on the Tees Valley, celebrating the area’s individuality and the strength of its people.”

Ms Hall said she expected the festival to move back to Darlington in 2017.

She added: “We will be heading back to Darlington for 2017, but the opportunity of holding the festival at Kirkleatham this year was too good an opportunity to miss.”

Darlington Borough Council leader Bill Dixon said the move is unexpected and has nothing to do with the council’s dire financial position.

He said: “We are sad they are going but we can understand they wanted to spread their wings.

“It’s nothing to do with money at our end. We put in £40,000 last year and we would have been looking to make the same contribution this year.

“We were keen to keep it in Darlington if we could but understand they feel the need to move.”

Darlington for Culture Chair John Dean said it was crucial the festival came back.
He said: “People travel from all over the country to come to the event.
“It’s crucial that we retain it.”

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council Leader Sue Jeffrey said the area would be delighted to host an event which would give a massive boost to the community.

The proposal will be put to Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council on March 1.