About

In 1955 Mrs D A MacNaughton from Southampton was working towards supporting cultural activities in Ventnor as she was passionate about keeping the Arts and Crafts alive in the town. Mrs MacNaughton was the daughter of Mr Alfred Scott, and one of 8 children. Alfred came to Ventnor in 1870 and took over the Ironmongers shop where Hurst is now. Members of his family carried it on until the 1960s. 

Sadly on February 25th 1956, Mrs MacNaughton died but she did bequeath the sum of £2000 to Ventnor Town Council to be used for cultural activities in the town, and to promote the start of the MacNaughton Festival. Her wish was for the funds to be used for the next 20 years to provide prizes for an annual needlework, handicrafts and horticultural show. The prizes were for the best specimens produced by local residents living within a 5 mile radius of Salisbury Gardens Ventnor. A further £500 legacy was also left to promote community singing or folk dancing for the next 10 years.

When the bequest ended in 1977 there were fears for the future of the MacNaughton Festival, but with the support of many bodies, including the Ventnor Town Council and The Business Association, who undertook to underwrite the financial position, a new group formed and has from then on successfully carried on the tradition of the annual MacNaughton Festival.

One of the original volunteers, who worked tirelessly to organise the Festival since its beginnings, was Rene Howe. Rene was well known in Ventnor for her support of local community events. In 2001 Mrs Howe died and left a further substantial bequest to the Festival.  In her memory the Festival name was changed to the MacNaughton-Howe Festival. 

In present times the MacNaughton-Howe Festival is self supporting and no longer receives funding for the Town Council or the Business Association. We are an All Island Event and hold our Annual Show at St Catherine’s Church in Ventnor. Although the show has decreased in size over recent years a small but dedicated group of volunteers are determined to put this festival well and truly on the map and build it back to its former glory.