Silverstone Festival 'not all about cars'

Silverstone Festival is "not all about the cars" according to the event director, as it continued to attract a family-orientated audience.

Nick Wigley, the event director for the bank holiday weekend event, said it was organised to appeal to those not interested in motorsport, as well as "petrolheads".

The festival at the Northamptonshire racing circuit is an annual celebration of motorsport that regularly attracts close to 800 race entries and draws crowds of more than 100,000.

"If you do like cars, you're never going to go home anywhere near disappointed," he said.

"But for the family there's so much for them to do.

"We've made it into a family-friendly, lively entertainment weekend."

The Foodie Fest area was a huge attraction which included numerous local county vendors, such as Northampton Cheese Company and Phipps Brewery in the Northamptonshire artisan market.

Steve Reid, the owner of the cheese firm, said Silverstone had been "very supportive" during all three of the festivals he had worked at.

He said the artisan market was "very key" for small businesses considering the current climate where "people aren't spending as much".

He added that, despite people generally wanting to hold on to their money, festival attendees have been "very supportive of the work that [The Cheese Company] does".

Jose Pablo works for the Williams Formula 1 team as an engineer and invited his family over from Mexico to visit him.

"I thought the festival would be a great chance for my family to see the motorsport world and my life within the UK," he said.

"So, for my family to experience the very reason why I [moved to the UK], it is a very special location to share with the family."

Diana Galbraith, who has loved cars since she was a teenager, said she preferred the festival's atmosphere and community compared with the Formula 1 Grand Prix meeting at Silverstone.

"It's friendly and easy-going," she said.

"There's so much to see. The [world champions collection] is wonderful."

She thought nostalgia was the reason why people kept coming back to the festival.

Mark Richardson took part in the weekend's historical Formula 1 car race with his Shadow DN9, a model that was raced in the late 1970s.

He has been driving sports cars for 20 years, but said it was a "privilege" to race at Silverstone and be surrounded by such "incredible history".

"It's mind boggling. I'm a very very lucky person," he said.

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