CLOSE to £1m was spent by frugal festival-goers as part of a campaign to spread the message of living sustainably in style across the region and even further afield.

More than 35,000 visitors descended on the sixth-annual Festival of Thrift last year to peruse hundreds of stalls, workshops and take part in communal activities across the two-day event.

Organisers of the award-winning event have revealed market research which found the 2018 festival was the most lucrative yet, with visitors spending £48.70 on purchases from independent business stalls.

An independent event evaluation report produced after September’s Festival of Thrift in the expansive grounds of Kirkleatham Museum, near Redcar, stated overall economic impact was up 16 per cent from 2017.

Last year, £976,000 was spent during the Festival, with more than a tenth of visitors being attracted to the North-East from outside the region.

Figures show more than two thirds of all visitors came to Redcar especially for the event organised to bring together a programme of artists, performers and craftsmen to inspire people to live sustainably and save money.

Festival of Thrift director Stella Hall said she was pleased with the positive impact of the event and its impact on Redcar and the wider region's economy.

She said: “It is great news and highlights the huge potential that the Festival offers to support the ongoing regeneration of the Redcar area.

“We are using the arts to show people that is it possible to live a good life in a way that is sustainable and our aim is to continue to inspire people of all ages to learn old ways and find new ways to be creative in their everyday lives.

“Our visitors tell us time and time again how full of joy and great fun the Festival is – a very effective way to get the incredibly important message about how to save our planet across.

"And, despite this great news re: the visitor spend at our event, you could still have a great day family out just spend a few pounds.”

Research also found there is a large loyalty factor among festival-goers, with 59 per cent of visitors in 2018 returning from one of six previous events.

Ten per cent of those attended confirmed they had been to all festivals since they began in Darlington.

The seventh Festival of Thrift will take place across the weekend of September 14 and September 15, with the event once again heading back to the woodland surroundings of Kirkleatham.

Ms Hall added: “Our key themes for 2019 are Clean Air, upturning ideas of Tees Valley as a dirty industrial landscape, and a commemoration of the Moon Landing, symbolising the level of aspiration we have for our future.

“As we celebrate Fair Trade fortnight it is important to note that many of our regular Festival stallholders use and sell fair trade products, something which we will be highlighting as we build a year round online presence for our traders.”

Bookings for stalls for the 2019 event have recently opened with organisers currently on the lookout for new ethical traders with a commitment to sustainability to join this year's showcase.

  • For more information about the Festival of Thrift, or to register an interest as a small business stallholder, visit festivalofthrift.co.uk