County to welcome 1,000 people to bigger and better ‘gluten free festival’ next month

The festival has been organised by specialist coeliac dietitian Nicola Walpole, who has 18 years of experience and insight.

Nicola previously worked as a veterinary nurse for 16 years until one of her sons developed a problem with gluten, which sparked her interest in diet.

Before Nicola was appointed in her role at the county’s Healthcare Foundation Trust in October 2022, there had never been a specialist coeliac dietitian in Northamptonshire – and there are very few across the UK.

“In the past, people with coeliac disease have been seen once and are left to get on with it,” Nicola previously told the Chronicle & Echo. “They really struggled.”

Though she is only funded to work 11 hours per week but continues to go above and beyond to support those in need, Nicola says this is better than not having a county specialist at all.

Nicola went on to form the Northamptonshire Coeliac Group on Facebook and hosts monthly coffee mornings at different locations, which has helped people with shared experiences to meet and support each other.

Nicola is no stranger to organising events and hosted a gluten free beer festival at Saxby’s Cider last June. With an ambition to do something bigger, the concept of the Gluten Free Festival was born.

Gluten Free Festival is taking place at Chester House Estate on June 22, with gluten free traders, presentations from experts in the field, cookery demonstrations, musical performances and a children’s picnic to enjoy.

Nicola is passionate about ensuring the festival remains as accessible as possible, with tickets priced at £5 for adults and £2.50 for children.

The hope is that it will be an enjoyable day out and may encourage others to join Nicola in organising events and activities for the county’s gluten free community moving forward.

“When you have coeliac disease, you can often feel alone,” said Nicola. “It’s important for people to learn about it and the presentations will be really helpful. They’ll cover how to manage a well-balanced diet, ongoing symptoms and how to prepare gluten free food.”

Nicola explained that attendees typically have to travel to large-scale events like this, such as in London or Liverpool, and they often come at a higher price point. It was important to her to keep this local, affordable and accessible.

The revenue generated will be used to cover the venue hire, presentation equipment and other overhead costs, and any money leftover will fund future events for people with coeliac disease.

As May is Coeliac Awareness Month, Nicola concluded: “Around one in 100 are thought to have coeliac disease and only 36 percent actually get diagnosed.

“It is an autoimmune condition and tends to run in families. It can occur at any age and more than 50 percent of people diagnosed are over 40. Misdiagnoses of IBS are common, and symptoms include anemia, tiredness, fertility issues, headaches and joint pain.”

Nicola encouraged readers to ask to be screened for coeliac disease if they are worried about their symptoms or a potential misdiagnosis.

For more information on the Northamptonshire Gluten Free Festival, and to secure your tickets, click here.