Hundreds of people turned up for Renewable Manilla

The highlight was the iconic 100-Mile Dinner on Friday night, with about 130 guests enjoying a sumptuous country feast of New England lamb, salads and tiramisu at the Town Hall.

For the dinner, everything served is sourced within 100 miles to support local industries, food production, and healthy bodies consuming meals grown or picked from healthy soils.

And there was no shortage of fun at the Amazing Enviro Race at the showgrounds, where school-aged children competed for handmade trophies on day two.

Manilla Community Renewable Energy's Emma Stilts said the festival was about people reconnecting to others and to the environment.

"It gets better every year," Ms Stilts, the event organiser, said.

Top hits among the workshops included: the delicate Japanese art of Kitsugu, where gold thread is used to patch up holey items of clothing; chair yoga; and innovative sessions such as the one about Chat GPT.

The event supports the nearby community-run solar farm, where construction is expected to start this year.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: