BATTENBURG, carrot, fruit, chocolate, sponge, lemon and fairy cakes are just a selection of the delicious types that will be sold at Ramsbottom’s first cake festival next weekend.

The event has been organised by the chairman of Ramsbottom Business Group, Gregg Fletcher, and his dedicated team, who have invited local bakers to exhibit and share their delightful recipes.

Gregg, who is also the man behind the town’s pie festival, said: “This is the first year that we will be running the cake festival and it’s very exciting.

“Cakes are more fitting at this time of year and it’s fashionable to bake at the moment, especially with the cupcake craze.”

The festival takes place next Sunday in St Paul’s gardens, to tie in with the Winedering wine tasting on Friday, hosted by the Vineyard, which organises an event where people wander from shop to shop, sampling a fantastic range of wines.

The day before, there’s a flower festival at St Paul's Church which will have beautiful floral displays.

Gregg, who first became involved in the business group in 2009, said: “We are really hoping that the weather will be on our side because there’s so much to do.

“It will be a fantastic day out for all of the family and the weekend promises to be fun.”

Gregg, 42, has received support from Paul Morris, who is owner of The Chocolate Cafe and organiser of the town’s successful chocolate festival, which sees thousands of people flock to the event every year.

With Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood at the helm, TV’s The Great British Bake-Off has won a legion of fans.

And now is your chance to showcase your skills as the cake festival also has a bake-off planned in two categories – under-16s and over-16s.

Gregg, who owns the Purple Tiger gift and accessory shop in Ramsbottom, said: “We have already had quite a few people apply to take part and it is looking like it will be very popular.

“The judging will be by local councillor Luise Fitzwalter. Last year we held a pie festival and the baking competition was very popular.

“It was won by local lady Alma Sanders who made a fantastic apple pie.”

Various stall holders, including Park Farm from Ramsbottom and Cupcakes by Sophia, will set up with a range of baked goods.

There are also hot food stalls and entertainment such as a bouncy castle, DJ, face-painting and children’s garden games.

It is clear that Gregg is passionate about the town, and he hopes that the cake festival will become an established event, bringing visitors from East Lancashire and Manchester to the area.

He said: “Ramsbottom is pretty unusual these days in that we have a high street which is full of independent shops and businesses.

“We have a range of shops, cafes, bars and even our own brewery. It is fantastic having a town which is bucking the trend and doing so well.

We all work hard to keep this momentum going.”

Last year, Ramsbottom won runner-up in the High Street of the year competition in the Daily Telegraph’s Reinventing the High Street campaign.

Gregg said: “We have other events taking place this year. We work hard to try to hold regular events as they are so important, not only in bringing new people into our area, but also in letting people know about Ramsbottom and how fantastic we are.”

“Our active business group, regular events, thriving high street and community spirit were key factors in our success. we have also been in the top ten places to live in the UK. for a small northern town these are really big achievements.”

  •  For more information and entry forms for the bake-off, email info@visitramsbottom.org or call at Purple Tiger, Bridge Street, Ramsbottom, to pick one up.