Chocolate festival team reject online criticisms
STUART PIKE
ACCRINGTON’S chocolate festival organisers have hit back after social media barbs that it was a flop.
The September 1 event was hailed an ‘incredibly successful’ launch for the £2m town square - but received some complaints there was ‘not enough chocolate’ or things to do.
The official estimated attendance of 8,000 for a trio of events - combining the chocolate festival based at the square and inside the town hall, plus a rally challenge and soapbox challenge at Accrington and Rossendale College - also met with some scepticism.
Rebecca Burns complained on Facebook: “Very disappointing when you take your excited children to a chocolate festival...that hasn’t got very much chocolate - thank god for the face painting stall.”
And Ross Baron posted: “Seen more chocolate at a Weight Watchers meeting.”
But organisers Scott Dawson Advertising have hit back and stood by their estimated attendance figure for the day.
Events director Zahida Shamim said the college’s events were ‘much busier’ than the town centre, but added that there was more going on inside the town hall which passers-by might have missed.
She explained: “We are fully aware of the criticism on social media and they can say what they want, but we fulfilled our end of the bargain and we delivered.
“It was never going to be a massive event, it was a small festival outside the town hall. We intended to fill the space in front of the town hall only and, apart from a few ‘no show’ stalls, everything went to plan.
“The people who sponsored it were all excited about what happened and want to sponsor it again next year.
“We did a stallholder survey and it was 100 per cent positive.”
She added that more than 500 chocolate bars were given away by 1pm due to high demand, while other highlights were Miss Wonka Workshops attended by 125 children, chocolate pizza, brownies, and a chocolatier stall.
Paul Cunliffe, of Ginception, was based outside the town hall and he felt the event was a great success.
He said: “We were busy throughout the day so we didn’t get the chance to go out and see what was happening elsewhere. We sold loads.”
Charlotte Scheffman, assistant principal of Accrington and Rossendale College, said the events on their campus attracted one of their best ever attendances.
She said: “I could not say how many but over the four to five hours we were running several thousand does not sounds unrealistic.”
SEE letters on p10.