THE 10th Birdsedge Village Festival produced three very different days of entertainment and events.
Financed by grants from Kirklees Arts in the Neighbourhood, Denby Dale Area Committee and companies such as Maxies (Denby Dale), Specsavers and Teatime Tasties, the whole festival kicked off on Friday evening with Bruce Springsteen tribute band Born to Run giving a spirited performance to a lively crowd despite the rain falling like stair rods outside the marquee.
Luckily the weather cleared up for Saturday's Family Fun Afternoon and the crowds came out to see, hear and take part in a wide variety of events beginning with the crowning of the festival King and Queen, Ben Thornton and Emily Cope from Birdsedge First School.
In addition to stalls, games and a craft tent, the crowd was royally entertained by Vintage Brass and the Frumptarn Guggenband, the Rapide Brothers (clowns) and the Jolly Jester; Springer Flyball, doing their Clever Dogs display, dance teams Kitchen Taps and 400 Roses tribal-fusion belly dancers, The Red Barrows formation wheelbarrow team, Huddersfield TAGB with their fantastic tae-kwon-do display and hotfoot from another event, but still fresh and energetic, the Diamonds Gymnastics Club.
The music marquee had a full afternoon programme including Lou Marriott, the Rawmarsh Mashers, We-Was and Unity Voices, the 18-woman singing group from Marsden. After the music had finished Nick Dilly conducted a grand charity auction as a fundraiser for the Birdsedge Village Hall renovations.
Festival director and artistic co-ordinator Jacey Bedford said: “We were really worried about rain because although we have a wet-weather plan and lots of tentage so no one needs to get soaked, some of our outdoor displays, like the dogs, can’t be moved inside in the event of a downpour.
‘Brilliant catering’
“We were keeping our fingers crossed and after a shaky start on Friday – which made no difference to us whatsoever because the concert was in a nice leak-proof marquee – we had dry, if cool, weather for the Saturday events and our visitors were well-pleased with the entertainment on offer. Lots of people said it was our best ever.”
This year’s festival was augmented by brilliant catering including the tea tent organised by a group of village ladies who have a secret store of WI cake recipes and they're not afraid to use them. There was also a barbecue using fresh locally sourced meats. For the first time, in addition to the usual bar, there was a mini beer festival with 10 local real ales and three ciders.
On Saturday evening the pace changed and international folk stars took to the concert stage hosted by mad Lancastrian singer/comedian, Stanley Accrington, and supported by popular local singer/songwriter Roger Davies. Zoe Mulford, a pert American songstress and banjo player not only delivered a programme of her own songs but played for two young Appalachian ‘flatfoot’ dancers who enthralled the crowd with some fancy stepping.
Top of the bill was four-times Canadian Juno Award winner James Keelaghan with his trio consisting of himself plus Hugh McMillan on bass and young female fiddler from British Columbia, Jaime RT. The trio had been in the UK on a four week tour and Birdsedge was their last engagement before flying back to Canada.
On Sunday the emphasis changed again, this time concentrating on families and young people participating in making music. Cloudstreet, Nicole Murray and John Thompson from Australia, together with their cellist Rebecca Wright, who had been doing outreach workshops with young people all week in the area gave a fabulous free singing workshop in the village hall attended by 22 people aged between nine and 60.
Then in the afternoon, rock bands New Vinyl and local heroes, Detox, played a set each, followed by the final of the Musical Youth competition, open to young people (any genre of music) between the ages of 15 and 25.
It was won by young singer and songwriter Blair Dunlop, who receives some recording studio time and an invitation to play at next year's festival. Runners up were the brilliant young Wakefield band Jiggawatt. Last year’s winner, Harry Rowland also played and Cloudstreet took to the stage to prove that they can not only teach, but they can really sing, too.
“It was a good event,” said secretary Carole Ashley. “All we need now are a few younger committee members, because those of us who started the festival 10 years ago are not getting any younger and we want to keep growing and bringing fresh ideas in to the mix.
“We’ve just been awarded a £235,000 Big Lottery Fund grant to refurbish the village hall, so, by next year’s festival, building work should be finished and we’ll have a bigger Hall, a commercial quality catering kitchen and super toilet facilities with much better access for all (See ‘Village hall’ story this page).
‘Festival favourites!
“We’re already planning for next year,” says Jacey Bedford. “We've got the opportunity to book the brilliant Canadian band, Tanglefoot, who are always festival favourites. They played at our first festival in 1999 and again in 2004. They've got a great following from all over the country and last time they came brought visitors to the festival from as far away as Wiltshire and Scotland.”
Villagers – and anyone interested in local history – will have the opportunity to see plans for the hall in addition to an exhibition of 100 years of village photos tomorrow (Sunday) from 1pm in Birdsedge Village Hall.
The committee is asking for donations, small or large, towards the costs of plugging the shortfall between the grant and the actual costs caused by the recent rise in prices of materials. About £60,000 still needs to be raised.
Anyone wishing to contribute their time and energy for the next festival or their money or in-kind support for the village hall renovations should call secretary Carole Ashley on 01484-606533.
