Julian hosts Ainsty Ales at Taste of North Yorkshire event
January 31, 2024
Julian is delighted to welcome Andy Herrington from Ainsty Ales down to Parliament for the Taste of North Yorkshire event in the Jubilee Room on 31 January.
The event was a fantastic opportunity to champion local business and showcase the brilliant produce that North Yorkshire has to offer. Members of Parliament for North Yorkshire constituencies were able to choose a business to champion at this event, and it was a real privilege to have Ainsty Ales representing the best of York Outer.
A Taste of North Yorkshire really showed our region at its best, with a wide array of goods on show and offer, including award winning beers, world-class macaroons, delicious apple juice, great cider, hearty baked goods, and amazing gin. It was a day in which North Yorkshire Members of Parliament from both the Conservative Party and the Labour Party could come together to really make some noise about what North Yorkshire has to offer and the event received universal praise for the quality of all the goods on offer.
Ainsty Ales is a fantastic award-winning business based in Acaster Malbis that has gone from strength to strength with Andy Herrington, its owner and founder, at the helm. It was a real privilege to have Ainsty Ales down to Parliament blowing the trumpet for York Outer with their award-winning beers and community focused ethos.
A real highlight of the day for Julian was having the opportunity to introduce Andy and his daughter to fellow North Yorkshire MP for Richmond, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Andy was given the opportunity to share his story with the Prime Minister, discuss his business’s journey, the challenges faced, and of course, Ainsty Ales’s many achievements. Ainsty Ales was crowned The York Press’s Small Business of the year in 2023 and Andy had the award pride of place at the showcase which caught the eye of the Prime Minister.
This showcase importantly gave each business the opportunity to speak with numerous Members of Parliament, government ministers, and the Prime Minister himself, about the challenges that businesses have faced over recent years, particularly as a result of the pandemic, along with the positive opportunities out there.
A huge thanks must go to Kevin Hollinrake MP, and his Westminster team led by Ben and Hattie for leading the charge and getting this date in the diary. It is so important that we work together across the region by setting aside political differences to promote local businesses and their amazing Yorkshire-based goods.
Before the event, Julian and his team has the chance to give Andy and his daughter a tour around Parliament which included Westminster Hall, watching the Speakers procession, and a debate in the House of Commons. Most importantly, Julian was able to have a constructive conversation with Andy about his business and how we might better be able to support small businesses across York and North Yorkshire.
Julian is incredibly passionate about supporting local businesses and banging the drum for small businesses based in and around York. It is incredibly important to highlight that small businesses are the absolute backbone of our local and national economy, and it is vital that we recognise and celebrate their stories and differences.
Following the event, Julian commented
“The Taste of North Yorkshire event was a fantastic day which provided a great opportunity for each MP across North Yorkshire to select a local business to come down to Westminster to showcase their broad array of amazing award-winning Yorkshire-based goods.
“It was such a pleasure to have Ainsty Ales owner Andy and his daughter down to Parliament for the event and I really enjoyed learning more about Andy’s business and its journey. I was also really pleased to introduce Andy and his daughter to the Prime Minister who thoroughly enjoyed learning about Ainsty Ales and Visit York.
“Ainsty Ales sets such a great example of how a small community ethos focused business can become a real success and also a hub of a community”.
