Wensleydale Fuels Final Façade Rehearsal

School children enjoyed a taste of our famous Yorkshire Wensleydale Cheeses, having brought along our award-winning cheeses to the Façade dress rehearsal on Friday, as the children of Askrigg, Reeth & Richmond schools prepared for the performance in Aysgarth Church on 7 June, as part of the 2013 Swaledale Festival.

Following The Wensleydale Creamery’s announcement that we would support the annual Swaledale Festival in a three-year sponsorship deal, the team took along some cheesy treats to fuel the children’s final Façade rehearsal.

William Walton’s Façade, specifically sponsored by the Wensleydale Creamery to support local school children, celebrated Wensleydale and Swaledale’s talented young artists who have taken part in workshops for a number of months. The performance given by the instrumental ensemble Contraband and conducted by Graham Coatman, featured a group of 24 local children aged between seven and eighteen, drawn from Askrigg, Reeth and Richmond schools.

The Swaledale Festival, which kicked off on 25 May until 8 June, features classical, choral, jazz, folk and world music in intimate venues across the Dales, along with poetry, drama, comedy, art exhibitions and guided walks.

Towns and villages around Swaledale, Arkengarthdale and home of the Creamery, Wensleydale, have hosted dozens of events during the festival, with artists including a BBC Young Musician of the Year Finalist, classical guitar giant John Williams, Northern Sinfonia, comedian Barry Cryer, poet Roger McGough and the popular Leyland Band.

Based at Hawes, in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, the Wensleydale Creamery is dedicated to supporting the local community and economy. Attracting £350,000 of direct economic benefit into the Northern Dales, the Swaledale Festival brings 7,000 festival-goers to the region. Following the success of last year, The Wensleydale Creamery is sponsoring the Festival again this year, in a joint celebration of the Dales.

Malcolm Creese, Artistic Director of the Swaledale Festival, said: “We were delighted to see the team from The Wensleydale Creamery at our Façade dress rehearsal, the cheese really spurred on all the children as they’ve been working hard to perfect their performance over the past few weeks. It is fantastic to have such a great Yorkshire brand and attraction on-board with Façade and the Swaledale Festival, and we’re very appreciative of their support.”

Sandra Bell, Marketing Managing of The Wensleydale Creamery, commented: “We are proud sponsors of the Swaledale Festival and have been particularly excited to support local children in learning about the arts. It was great to see them perform Façade in the rehearsal ahead of their final performance at Aysgarth Church, for the whole community to enjoy”.