Sponsors are being sought for the 11th Isle of Man Food & Drink Festival.

The festival, run by the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA), takes place at the Villa Marina Gardens on September 14 and 15.

It will showcase the island’s wide variety of local food and drink producers and manufacturers.

The 2018 festival was the 10th anniversary and the largest yet, attracting more than 10,000 visitors as well as BBC One’s Countryfile presenter, Adam Henson as guest of honour.

It is estimated it is now worth £298,000 to the economy.

Food Minister Geoffrey Boot MHK said: ’The Isle of Man Food & Drink Festival is the showpiece event of Food Matters, our strategy to grow the value of Isle of Man food and drink; a sector that is now worth over £100m to the economy.

’Visitors from both on and off the island attend the festival to sample and buy the selection of local food and drink, as well as to enjoy competitions, demonstrations and live music.

’The growth in the festival over the past decade demonstrates the increasing demand for Manx produce and products, offering a variety of opportunities to organisations looking to sponsor the event.’

The event won the PokerStars Award for Public Sector Achievement of the Year at Isle of Man Newspapers’ Awards for Excellence.

Sponsorship packages for the 2019 festival range in price from £1,000 to £10,000.

For more information, contact Lucy Verdon by January 31 at [email protected] or 687520.