Settle Flowerpot Festival: How whimsical plan to promote Yorkshire town became successful festival

As the annual Settle Flowerpot Festival gets underway this summer, the community has been reminiscing how this whimsical initiative has become one of Yorkshire’s favourite summer-long attractions.

Running through to September 3, part of the festival’s attraction is that it is free and genuinely appeals to all ages.

This year more than 150 flowerpot displays adorn the streets of the town and it is estimated that several thousand flowerpots have been used to create the diverse and entertaining exhibits, ranging from a tiny bee to a very large Plantpotosaurus.

The festival unites the town each year as Individual households, business and community groups come together to contribute their creative installations guaranteed to raise a smile.

The idea for the Festival was originally conceived in 2013 by the Vibrant Settle Community Partnership, an initiative spearheaded by residents, Steve Amphlett and Tony Hardwick, who were later joined by Richard Handscombe and a small team of enthusiastic volunteers.

The objective then and now is to encourage the economic sustainability of Settle, a town with an ageing demographic of just 2,500 people which has not significantly increased in over 100 years.

The hope is that the festival helps to support the many independent shops to survive by not only attracting visitors to the town but also keeping them entertained there for a few hours. It also aims to encourage exploration beyond the picturesque market square.

Mr Amphlett explains “We had no idea it would take off the way it has done. We’re delighted that here we are celebrating 10 years of the Festival and everyone is still just as enthusiastic and creative.

"As organisers we do little other than encourage people to get involved and get creative.”

The Festival has attracted attention over the years from The Great Exhibition of The North, which celebrates great art, culture, design and innovation and was featured on Susan Calman’s Grand Day Out series on Channel 5 last year.

There have been some amazing creations, including, in 2018, a 10ft climber mounted on the face of Castleberg Crag overlooking the town which lit up with 600 LEDs at night, and a large blue crayfish suspended from the ancient Settle Bridge over the River Ribble in 2021.

More information about the Festival can be found at http://www.settleflowerpotfestival.co.uk/