PREPARATIONS for Blaenau Gwent’s first ever food and culture event are well under way, with organisers saying they are ‘delighted’ with the interest received generated so far.

Valley’s FACE (Food And Cultural Event)’ will take place on July 20 and 21 at Festival Park, Ebbw Vale, the first of what organisers hope could become a biannual event.

Jaime Devine, one of the six organisers, owns and runs the Tudor Brewery based at Llanhilleth Industrial Estate. He said: “My company started off in Abergavenny, but living in Blaenau Gwent, I decided to move it to my local area.

Since this move, we have been made aware of the apathy that exists in the local community.

“The bad press relating to employment figures, poverty and everything else does little to encourage and bolster the residents of Blaenau Gwent.” To counter this, Mr Devine along with fellow business owners Wayne Lewis, James Carver, Angharad Collins, Verity Lewis, Sally Williams and Sally Ann Evans set up a committee and have all taken on various organisational roles to create the festival.

Along with other businesses based in the Heads of the Valleys area and, with the support of residents in Blaenau Gwent, the committee hope to create a festival to celebrate the diverse culture and rich heritage of the Valleys. Mr Devine added: “It’s all going really, really well. We are on track, and we’ve already got 103 vendors confirmed to be at the event. We also have 20 performers, bands and choirs scheduled to play over the weekend. The support we have had so far has been phenomenal.”

Of the vendors booked for the event, more than 40 per cent are from Blaenau Gwent itself, while the remainder come from elsewhere in Gwent.

Organisers say a conservative estimate of visitor numbers is currently in the region of 12,000-15,000.