A HELPING hand with early Christmas preparations are on offer at a festive food and drink festival.

The gourmet food store Lewis & Cooper, in Northallerton, will be staging cookery demonstrations, competitions and showcasing food produced from the surrounding area this Sunday, November 6.

This year the organisers have waved the admission fee, which is traditionally donated to local good causes, and are encouraging people to instead make donations to Help for Heroes on the day.

Fund-raising activities throughout the day will also be donated to the charity.

Lewis & Cooper chairman David Gearey said the festival had been running for a quarter of a century now and was now one of their most popular events.

“Over the years, this event has grown to be one of the most important and enjoyable dates in our calendar, with customers travelling from near and far to meet suppliers and producers and taste their wares,” he said.