31/08/2026
I genuinely don’t know where to start with this one. ❤️
Yesterday might have had my name and Pie Lady attached to it, but there is absolutely no way on earth I could have pulled it off without the incredible people around me.
And I need them to know that.
To my Pie Lady team — I am SO bloody proud of you.
You didn’t just turn up and do your normal jobs. Every single one of you adapted, mucked in, took ownership and somehow became experts in jobs you’d never signed up for. 😂
Jodie Hadfield and Vanessa Neeld went from serving pies in the shop to basically becoming landlords for the day and running the bar. They took that whole little project, grabbed hold of it and just got on with it. They worked unbelievably hard and absolutely smashed it.
Mitch and Jensen swapped the factory for the trailer and, once again, just adapted. No fuss. No “that’s not my job”. Just: what needs doing? Right, we’ll do it.
That attitude means more to me than I can explain.
Then there’s Natalie Guilfoyle Our social media and marketing guru, who you’ll also spot helping us in the shop, somehow became VIP hostess extraordinaire for the day walking over 20,000 serving steps backwards and forwards making sure everybody else was having a brilliant time.
And she kept smiling.
But some of the people I need to thank most aren’t even on the Pie Lady payroll.
They just turned up for me.
My beautiful Nath Iley
I love you so much. You have been an absolute godsend.
You have your own life and your own things going on, yet you have gone above and beyond to help me make this event happen.
Having somebody beside you who supports you through thick and thin, who sees the stress and the chaos behind the scenes and still says, “What needs doing?” is something I will never take for granted. He is my chief "lugger" - thanks to me, he is my big muscly warrior with all the jobs he does for me..
Thank you for standing by my side through all of it. ❤️
And Gary Iley.
Ive adopted him as my dad.
This poor retired man has somehow acquired what feels suspiciously like a full-time job over the last few months. 😂
He has worked tirelessly helping me get the factory right, getting the site ready and sorting the million-and-one things nobody sees.
He never grumbles.Unless the kettle isn’t on.Then we have a problem. 😂☕️
Gary, you are knowledgeable, clever, thoughtful, kind and endlessly supportive. I cannot tell you how lucky I feel to have somebody like you by my side.
Thank you.
And my best friend Claire Zanetti
She came flying in during those final days and helped me cross every T and dot every I — tickets, paperwork, licensing, legalities, all those glamorous bits nobody sees when they arrive at an event. 😂
Then she ran the entrance, got everybody in, kept an eye on everything throughout the day and mucked in wherever she was needed.
We’ve pressure washed what felt like the entire world together — and got worryingly addicted to it.
And Claire went completely and utterly BUNTING MAD. 😂
You have been there when I needed you, like you always are.
Thank you, my beautiful friend. ❤️
And there are so many other people who helped make this possible.
To the organisations and businesses who supported us with equipment, facilities, drinks and everything else we needed — thank you. Your generosity made a genuine difference.
To every single act who got on that stage and entertained our guests — thank you. You brought the atmosphere, the music and the energy that turned a field and a factory into a proper event.
To everybody else who volunteered, donated something, carried something, cleaned something, moved something, built something, served something, fixed something or simply asked, “What can I do?”…
THANK YOU.
And finally, to every single person who bought a ticket and came.
You could have looked at the weather forecast and thought, “Absolutely not.” 😂
But you came.
You walked through those gates, bought your pies and drinks, watched the acts, laughed, danced, chatted and filled the place with the atmosphere I had imagined when this was nothing more than an idea in my head.
Events don't happen because one person has an idea.
They happen because a whole load of people decide to believe in it enough to help make it real.
Yesterday I looked around and realised just how many people I have in my corner.
My team.
My friends.
My family.
Our suppliers and supporters.
Our performers.
Our customers.
I will never, ever take that for granted.
Pie Lady has grown from me making pies in a home kitchen into something I sometimes have to pinch myself about.
But however much it grows, this is the bit I never want to lose.
People.
Good people, working bloody hard, looking after each other and creating something special together.
From the absolute bottom of my heart…
Thank you.
You made it happen.
And I hope you're as proud of what we created as I am of every single one of you. ❤️🥧
Love,
Lucy
The Pie Lady ###
