Plum Jam spreads cheer
Horsham’s town centre drew crowds at the weekend for another successful Plum Jam, celebrating VW cars and campers.
Horsham town centre hosted another great family day out on Bank Holiday Sunday with a bigger than ever procession of classic Volkswagen cars and camper vans.
The Plum Jam team supported by Horsham Markets and Horsham District Council brought their special blend of air-chilled vibes to Horsham for their fourth annual show.
Some 160 ‘v’dubs’ graced the town and new this year was the introduction of a ‘California Zone’ thanks to a partnership with The REC Rooms Bowling Alley located on the edge of Horsham Park – a great after party music show rounded off the event.
A particular highlight was Henfield based VW Kamper’s inclusion of the first electric conversion Volkswagen, the only one in the UK, which drew crowds throughout the day.
The coolest of vehicles were parked up throughout the town centre amongst a wide variety of shops in the Carfax, West Street, the Forum and East Street hosting many excellent eateries and street food providers for visitors to stop by for a bite to eat while enjoying the vintage views.
A fabulous selection of stalls, street food and drink were curated by Horsham Markets by Food Rocks and Manic Mundays presented a programme of music on the bandstand.
DJ Brian Mole spun the decks on the Forum plus there were dance displays from Horsham’s Upbeat Dance Company.
Horsham District Council Cabinet Member for Horsham Town, Peter Burgess said: “The Plum Jam Volkswagen Festival was another fantastic event for Horsham town centre.
“The town was full of people enjoying the exhibits and the range of music: Rock at The Rec Rooms, more traditional music with the British Legion Band at the Park Bandstand and a broad programme of local musicians in the Carfax
“There was an amazing variety of food and drink too, altogether making for a great free family day out.
‘‘Well done to the Plum Jam team and all their partners.”
This year, Plum Jam 19 supported Storrington based charity, Auntie Val’s Ability Centre who generate work opportunities for people with disabilities, producing a famous range of artisan preserves.
To celebrate their association, Auntie Val’s were in the Carfax alongside Plum Jam’s merchandise stall, selling a special edition of their Victoria Plum Extra Jam and a wide range of their sweet and savoury preserves.
Supporting the safe movement of display vehicles into the town were the Blood Transport bike heroes, SERV Sussex who were on hand throughout the day to spread awareness of their charity that undertakes such essential community services.
Sponsors this year included Henfield based Brazilian van importers VW Kampers and regulars, Kustom Revival, the newly rebranded Shoreham based Heritage Parts Centre and Tullet’s Self Drive Hire.
Next up in the Horsham Time Well Spent events calendar is Feria de Horsham, a Spanish Spring Festival on Sunday 9 June; a new free to attend event that is coming to Horsham town centre fresh from its May bank holiday weekend on the Southbank in London. See www. horshamtimewellspent.co.uk for details.