The first ever MarshFest has raised £2,000 for local charities as up to 500 revellers ignored the bad weather to rock-out to 10 bands in Marshfield, South Gloucestershire. The festival, the brainwave of local dads, was held on Saturday 22 September and included plenty of family fun from Bath’s The Makery, the Circus Tent, Balthazar’s Bubble shows, the Enchanted Wood and Chuffy the ride-on train.
“We’re absolutely over the moon with the reception of MarshFest – even as the rain was trying to stop play people were turning up and rocking out in their droves,” commented James Wood, one of the organisers. “It far exceeded our expectations and we raised a really decent amount for some incredibly worthy charities.”
Those charities included the Marshfield Primary PTA, which will help children aged 4 – 11 in the village school, and Friends of Huck, which helps cancer sufferers, some of whom are young people. It recently donated £100,000 to the RUH Forever Friends appeal for its Dyson Cancer Centre fund.
Among the family attractions at MarstFest, there was a circus tent, crafty fun from The Makery, Balthazar’s Bubbles bubble show, The Enchanted Wood, Chuffy the ride-on train and a straw bale stack.
A wide range of talented acts kept the crowds dancing throughout, many of which come from the music-loving village, including Stay Hungry, Richard Friend and Uke Can’t be Serious. Covers band, The Clones, Swing Blues act, Haney’s Big House, and Jazz-Funk groove fuelled Eden were also amongst the 10 acts that performed live from 2pm to 11.30pm.
“People came from far and wide to join in the fun, which was testament to the hard work we all put in to make this a unique event,” added Lee Harrison, another organiser. “Local suppliers were incredibly generous, as were the many stage crew and volunteers – this was truly a team effort.”