To mark the festival’s 20th year in 2025 and with a new team at the helm, the festival is taking a fresh direction – taking on board visitor feedback and bringing exciting new additions to the programme alongside old favourites to increase visitor participation and engagement. Head to the programme section to find out more…
A not-for-profit Community Interest Company (CIC) the aim of the festival remains, as it always has been, to help promote the town of Stone. It brings visitors – and their cash – into the area to give local businesses a boost while providing a fun-filled event for the community. Over the years, it has also become a platform for the promotion of Staffordshire as a foodie destination – showcasing the county’s finest culinary talent alongside the very best of its artisan produce.
Director (Logistics)
Ed will be known to many of you in town for being an active member of the community and his passion for bringing business into the High Street – especially through his role with Stone Traders’ Group. Having been a keen festival volunteer for several years, Ed joined the board in 2024 and brings great enthusiasm, fresh ideas and his extensive organisational and logistical experience to the team. Ed’s wife Tracy and his children are all keen supporters of the event and are valued members of the volunteer ‘army’.
Director (Sponsors)
Ange’s sister Cath will be another familiar face if you’re a regular festival-goer, having volunteered on the gate at the event since the early days. With the festival relying heavily on sponsorship from local businesses, when we were looking for someone to formalise and drive forward the commercial side of the operation Cath, with her background in building corporate relationships within the hospitality sector, was the natural choice. Her dynamic and highly organised approach has seen the festival significantly increase its income from sponsorship in her first few months in the role – and forge strong relationships with exciting local businesses for the future.
Director (Marketing)
Charlotte runs Squash PR. Since 2011 she’s worked with us to make sure everyone knows about the festival through marketing and social media, and manages communication with visitors. A hive of creativity, she was invited onto the Board of Directors in 2014 and in this role plays a big part in developing new events and attractions to keep the festival fresh and exciting. A mum of two children, she is passionate about little ones being involved in the festival experience.
Director (Traders)
An organisational super-woman who has been a volunteer for many years, Ange officially joined the team as Trader Co-ordinator in 2021. From securing bookings to organising site plans and general comms Ange ensures our traders festival journey is a smooth one, while running a watertight ship admin behind the scenes. With an eye for detail and a talent for trouble-shooting, Ange is an invaluable member of the team. She is a real grafter and, along with husband Tony and children Josh and Katie (who you’ll regularly see at events in their volunteers’ high vis) helps run the Stone Street Food and Sunday Series events in town, too. Her impact on the smooth running of the fest has been such that, within 12 months, she was invited to join the board of directors.
President
Having led the team that that grew the event from its humble beginnings to the major foodie event it is today in 2024 Richard retired from being an active member of the organisational team, but will still enjoy attending the event as its president.
Another thank you - and it’s a BIG one!
Without the small army of volunteers who work tirelessly in the run-up to, during and after the ‘big weekend’ the Stone Food & Drink Festival simply couldn’t happen.
It takes serious manpower to run an event of this scale - so a huge thanks to everyone who donned a white hi vis, be it for a few hours or several days, your support is vital!
Big thanks also to Wendy & Dave for working with us throughout the year to recruit, engage and organise our volunteers - you are simply awesome! 🙌
We can’t wait to see you all at our volunteers’ thank you event - details coming soon!
In the meantime, if you’d like to join our merry band get in touch - [email protected]
Think you might have lost something at the fest? 🤔
We’ve got a list of lost property items waiting to find their owners…
Please email [email protected] with a description of your missing item by Tuesday 26th May and we’ll check if we have got it! 😃
Wow.
What a weekend!
Here is the first of many thank yous we’ll be putting out over the coming days…. 😃
Huge thanks to our brilliant sponsors - the local businesses who get behind the event and help us make it bigger and better each year!
First of all a HUGE thank you to our lead sponsor Brown Recycling, also responsible for organising and disposing of all the waste the event produces over the big weekend - happy 100th birthday to this awesome Staffordshire businesses who!
Next a big shout-out to our main zone sponsors, including:
Music Stage Sponsor – Joule’s Brewery
Shopping Village Sponsor - James Du Pavey
Culinary Showcase Stage Sponsor - Lunar
Home and Garden Marquee Sponsor - Eric Whitehead Solicitors
Family Zone Sponsor - St Dominic’s School
Pop-up Bar – thanks for coming, Stone
Pop-up Coffee Shop – BOD, Stone
VIP Zone Sponsor – RP UK
Kids’ Cookery Classes Sponsor – Astro Education
Silent Disco Sponsor – The Boulevard, Newcastle under Lyme
Map Sponsor - Stonegate Wealth Management
VIP Bag Sponsor - Griffins of Stone
Thanks also to these other fantastic local businesses for their support…
Barlow Motors
Myers Solicitors
Austin & Roe
Little Seeds
Isobel Whittaker Funeral Directors
Plants the Jewellers
Kuotos Swim
EPX IT
Schui Graphics Ltd
🤔 Want to find out how your business can get involved in the 2027 event?
👉Email Cath on [email protected]
Fab photos courtesy of Z70 Photography
#thatsawrap
Thanks to everyone who’s joined us this weekend - visitors, traders, sponsors, volunteers!
It’s been a blast 💥 - 21 years of the Stone Food & Drink Festival done 🙌
(Just wait to see what we’ve got in store for the 22nd)!
Congratulations to the winner of the 2026 Great Stone Bake Off - Hannah Baker! 🍰
Not only does she take home the Stone Bake Off winners’ apron but she’s bagged a pair of VIP 3 day passes to the 2027 festival 😃
Want to be part of it next year… Start practicing your best bake!! 🧁
Juliet Sear has just finished judging the Sunday heat of the Great Stone Bake Off!
The following cakes are going through to the final today at 4pm
1st - Hannah Baker - Lemon with raspberry & white chocolate
Runners up -
Claire Davies - White chocolate & raspberry crumble cake
Karen Smith - Lemon Drizzle
Head to the Talks & Tastings tent at 4pm to find out who’s this year’s STAR BAKER! ⭐️
TV baking expert Juliet Sear on the Culinary Showcase stage 🧁
At 2pm she’ll be judging the Sunday heat of the Great Stone Bake Off in the Talks & Tastings Tent…
Dunking Biscuits biscuit dunking challenge in full flow in the Talks & Tastings Tent! 🍪
What biscuit do you love to dunk?
