Abergavenny Food Festival (21-22 September 2019) is offering volunteers free access to the festival in recognition of the valuable contribution that volunteers make to the community. Through a partnership with charity Tempo Time Credits, volunteers can exchange Time Credits, a time-based currency, for a festival wristband that is worth £15.

Tempo Time Credits incentivises people to volunteer and encourages individuals to play an active role in their community or services. People earn Time Credits for time contributed to their community or service. These Time Credits can then be spent on accessing activity across their national network, such as local attractions, training courses or leisure, or gifted to others. To date, more than 56,000 people have earned over 900,000 Time Credits! Abergavenny Food Festival is joining Tempo’s extensive network of spend partners which includes landmarks such as the Tower of London, the Wales Millennium Centre and CADW sites across Wales as well as independent cinemas, yoga classes and much more! Abergavenny Food Festival enjoys an exceptional reputation as a place for chefs, food businesses, journalists, farmers and food producers to come together. The festival prides itself on being an inclusive and welcoming event, delivering a delicious opportunity for people from all walks of life to explore and learn about food.

Tempo’s Partnership Manager for Powys & South Wales, Anita Cartwright said:

“We are tremendously excited to welcome Abergavenny Food Festival to our network of spend partners that recognise volunteers through accepting Time Credits. Partnerships with festivals such as Abergavenny are incredibly popular and offer people the chance to try new activities and spend quality time with friends and family.”

The partnership means that volunteers can exchange their Time Credits for weekend wristbands, allowing them access to a wide range of stalls and free events. From the free chef demos across the Market Hall and Welsh chefs’ stage, to the street food and night market with live entertainment until late, as well as the Farmyard for all that is food & farming related, and at The Castle for discussions on the future of food and demos on the Cooking Over Fire stage.

Aine Morris, CEO of Abergavenny Food festival, said:

“We’re privileged to be working with Tempo on such a forward thinking scheme presenting an alternative economy to people in our communities. We are always looking for innovative ways to engage with partner organisations and working with the Time Credits project seems a natural and exciting partnership for us.”