YC adult award candidate: Conwy Feast's Jane Hughes

Sep 5 2008 By Steve Stratford

Jane Hughes

THE hugely successful Conwy Feast, established just five years ago, attracts up to 30,000 visitors to the town and has placed it firmly on the food map.

A lot of its success is down to organiser Jane Hughes, who with her small team of helpers ensures its success.

Jane, who used to own the Wall Place restaurant in Conwy, has been nominated for a Your Champions award for all her hard work.

Jane, who has a reputation for being a talented cook, said: "I’m over the moon to be nominated as it makes all the hard work worthwhile.

"The feast does take hours of work, sometimes we have to work through the night to make sure the timetable of the two-day event works.

"I’m pleased to say that every year it has grown in both popularity and reputation, and is beginning to attract some national attention."

Last year Conwy Feast was given the best community event award in Wales by Visit Wales. Jane says her friend Peter McFadden came up with the idea of holding a food fair in Conwy and someone suggested she should organise it!

She said: "I’d sold the Wall Place in 2003 and was given this opportunity so I thought why not take it on?

"Although it’s only a two-day event it takes all year to organise. I get paid for a part time job but do more than full time hours.

"It take six months just to get the funding in place. This year’s feast will cost around £77,000 to stage. We always try to push ourselves as much as we can and this year, fingers crossed, there will be a farmyard on Conwy Quay! I want people to know exactly where their food comes from."

Conwy Feast takes place on October 25-26.