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Hundreds enjoyed all the fun of the (eco) fair

What does a bike shop have in common with a sustainable children’s clothing company and a wildlife trust?  The answer is that they were all stallholders at the super successful Didcot Eco Fair held earlier this month.

In total 37 organisations, local companies and charity groups were at the fair at Cornerstone arts centre showcasing some of the best of South Oxfordshire’s sustainable economy.

Hundreds of local people attended the family-friendly event hosted by South Oxfordshire District Council with support from Sustainable Didcot on 5 November.

There was a huge variety of goods and services on offer ranging from clothing, food and drink, jewellery, skincare and beauty products, candles, baked goods, upcycled furniture, garden products, pushchair and car seat valeting, and homewares, as well as electric bikes and vehicles.

Scene from Didcot Eco Fair

Fixers from the Didcot Repair Café and volunteers from the Swish group of Sustainable Didcot alongside Radbourne Repairs were on hand to show people how to save money and resources by repairing and swapping items and maintaining bike for cost efficient travel.

Repair cafe at Didcot Eco Fair

Online marketplace, ShopAppy launched its platform for Didcot at the fair. It allows people to shop local from the comfort of their own home. Businesses in Didcot join those in Abingdon, Botley, Faringdon, Henley, Wallingford, Wantage and Thame which are already on ShopAppy.

Bike repais and sales were available. Pic shows two people with a mountain bike.

Cllr Robin Bennett, South Oxfordshire District Council Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Regeneration, said: “This was a great event, enjoyed by lots of people from Didcot and beyond, including the stallholders themselves, who reported a busy couple of hours with lots of new customers or new members.

“Many are asking if we can organise another event, which we’re now looking into. It was great working in partnership with Sustainable Didcot, and those attending seemed very receptive to the environmental focus of the event, which is very encouraging for the future.”

Di Chesterman of Sustainable Didcot said: “It was a terrific event. We really appreciated the opportunity to work in partnership with South Oxfordshire District Council in this way. We had a great response from people attending and we signed up 47 new members in just three hours.”

Notes to editors

The Didcot Eco Fair was organised by South Vale Business Support (svbs.co.uk) part of South Oxfordshire District Council. It was supported by Sustainable Didcot – a community action group Didcot residents with a shared interest in the environment, living sustainably and raising awareness of climate change. 

The exhibitors involved were:

  • Allister Godfrey Architects
  • Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust
  • Bless You HOME Kitchen
  • Brightwell Vineyard
  • Christmas Jumper Swap
  • Colour with Confidence
  • Cosy Homes Oxfordshire
  • Cotswold Trees Limited
  • Dani’s Buggy Wash
  • Didcot Library
  • Didcot Repair Cafe
  • Ducky Zebra
  • Fereverie
  • Foodylicious Limited
  • Fudge Sake
  • Iryna – clothing
  • Lovely Oxford
  • Markers for Mindfulness
  • Marshall SEAT
  • Mess Makers
  • Mountain Mania
  • Neve’s Bees
  • OIKI Furniture
  • Olena – toys and dolls
  • Oxfordshire Greentech
  • Radbourne Repairs
  • Re-fashion 4 Fun with The Quirky Dandelion
  • Reycloanalyst
  • Rockhopper Garden Design
  • Scouts
  • ShopAppy
  • South & Vale Waste and Recycling team
  • Sueunique
  • Sustainable Didcot
  • Tearoom Bambi
  • Tredwell Travel
  • Tweedles Handmade

More info on ShopAppy can be found on its dedicated webpage here

Pictures: Philip Nash Photography