A teenage singing sensation entertained crowds at Accrington Town Hall\u2019s first ever wedding fayre fresh from an appearance on BBC One\u2019s The Voice.<\/p>\n
Harris Hameed, 17, made a surprise guest turn at the fayre which celebrated a full refurbishment of the Town Hall\u2019s Ballroom to become East Lancashire\u2019s newest wedding reception venue.<\/p>\n
The teenager from Leeds, who is still in contact with the BBC talent show\u2019s star judge will.i.am, said it was a fantastic event and he was delighted to be able to perform.<\/p>\n
The wedding fayre saw more than 500 people flock to the Town Hall to see the revamped facilities, including two new bars, a fully sprung dancefloor and colour effect lighting.<\/p>\n
They sampled food, favours and more from 26 exhibitors from across the region \u2013 including the Mitali Restaurant, who stepped in at the last minute to supply halal food after another caterer was forced to drop out due to an emergency.<\/p>\n
Charlotte Edmondson from Huncoat queued from 8.30am to be the first to bag \u00a3500 off her wedding reception after hearing on Facebook that the first 10 bookings on the day would receive an exclusive discount.<\/p>\n
She is engaged to marry Ashley Lockley who is due to travel to Cyprus with the Royal Regiment of Scotland.<\/p>\n
Andrea Carol from Cake of Dreams said: \u201cIt\u2019s been very well attended, we\u2019ve had a lot of enquiries and some sales too \u2013 the best fayre we\u2019ve ever been to!\u201d<\/p>\n
Nabila Anwar from Bee\u2019s Boutique, the Asian bridal wear specialist who sponsored the event and organised one of two catwalk shows, said: \u201cWhat an amazing event! Very well organised. The turnout was fantastic and we\u2019ve had four orders.\u201d<\/p>\n
The fayre\u2019s Hollywood meets Bollywood theme saw a second fashion show courtesy of Accrington bridal shop Anne Whittaker.<\/p>\n
Other performers at the event included Accrington acoustic singer Alex Birtwell \u2013 who also compered the event – Bollywood artist Kiran and swing singer Josh Hindle.<\/p>\n
Kerry Smith, Cultural Services Manager at Hyndburn Leisure, said: \u201cThe fayre was a lovely mix of English and Asian fusion \u2013 everybody left with a smile on their faces.\u201d<\/p>\n
Graham Jones, MP for Hyndburn, said: \u201cThe point of the refurbishment was to make the prestigious Town Hall more appealing to the public and this wonderful event proved we\u2019ve achieved that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Mayor of Hyndburn, Cllr Munsif Dad said: \u201cThe Ballroom has been refurbished to a very high standard and this wonderful event saw businesses coming together to encourage local people to use local suppliers. It\u2019s the ideal venue for weddings and special occasions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julie O\u2019Hara from Barbara Kay\u2019s, one of the event exhibitors, said: \u201cIt\u2019s great for Accrington to see the Town Hall come to life once again and two cultures coming together. This puts Accrington on the weddings map for the future. It was one of the first Asian catwalk shows I\u2019d seen and it was just wonderful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Louise Woodcock, sales manager at the Mercure Dunkenhalgh Hotel said: \u201cThis venue is fantastic. It\u2019s great to have healthy competition locally and we can support each other by providing accommodation to couples who book their wedding receptions here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jim Saron from Bailey\u2019s Menswear and vice president of the Hyndburn Chamber of Trade said: \u201cFor a first time event it was very good indeed \u2013 a beautiful building and a great turnout of more than 500 people attending.\u201d<\/p>\n
The wedding fayre was organised by marketing agency Scott Dawson Advertising, who have also produced a brochure to promote The Ballroom as a wedding venue.<\/p>\n
Murray Dawson, managing director of Scott Dawson Advertising, said: \u201cThe fayre was a great team effort from SDA, a lot of people worked hard to make sure everything ran smoothly and everyone got the most from it. We\u2019ll be organising other events in Accrington throughout this year to continue to boost civic pride.\u201d<\/p>\n
Exhibitors showcased flowers, vintage cars, cakes, table dressings, footwear, catering, stationery, accommodation, henna hand painting, entertainment and photography.<\/p>\n
For more information go to www.accringtontownhall.co.uk<\/a> or www.facebook.com\/accringtontownhall<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t\t