A RACE against time to find a new buyer to sponsor the first round of the Vale’s world-renowned asparagus in support of Dogs Trust.
The four-legged lifeline is the chosen beneficiary of this year’s first cut of the famous ‘Gras’ but it has been let down by the sponsor it had in place.
And now with National Asparagus Day on Sunday (April 23), charity chiefs have joined organisers in a bid to sponsor the donation and ensure a spear-tastic start to this year’s Asparagus Festival.
Not only is it St George’s Day but also the start of the British Asparagus season.
National Asparagus Day is always celebrated by blessing the first-cut asparagus round – some 100 spears traditionally bound in willow – before it is taken to a charity for them to use to raise money.
This year the round will be handed over to the manager of Dogs Trust Evesham, Chris Slight.
The charity finds new homes for hundreds of dogs every year and on the day, Chris will be accompanied by three of the dogs currently in the charity’s care – Gus, George, and Blossom.
Unfortunately, the initial sponsor of the event is no longer able to pay for the round, which can raise anything from £500 to £1,000 at auction.
Chris said: “We are really looking forward to the event this weekend and every penny raised will go towards making sure our dogs have everything they need until it’s time for them to head off to their forever homes.
“More people than ever are contacting us to handover their dogs at the moment as a result of the increased cost of living, so we are grateful for everyone’s support and hope a new sponsor can be found.”
This year’s celebrations run 10.30am to 1.30pm on Sunday, firstly at The Fleece Inn in Bretforton before moving to Wayside Farm and Café at 1pm.
Beginning at the National Trust’s only pub, the round will be welcomed with aspara-yoga, asparamancy and lessons on how to tie asparagus traditionally using willow. There will also be folk songs, Morris Dancing, and a traditional brass band.
At 12.30pm, the round will be taken by Gus the Asparagus Man accompanied by a fleet of classic cars to Wayside Farm Shop near Broadway, the jewel in the Cotswold crown.
Wayside will be serving blossom and asparagus cream teas accompanied by blossom cider and other local goodies.
Here, following celebrations focused on food and drink, the round will be presented to Dog’s Trust who will auction the round to raise money to support the scores of dogs in their facility.
Any restaurants, pubs, cafes, or individuals interested in receiving the round and giving a donation to Dogs Trust can e-mail Chris on [email protected]
