Bures Music Festival celebrated another successful year at a presentation evening following BMF 2013.
The awards evening was held at The Eight Bells pub in Bures to distribute £9,500 among local charities, bringing the total to £157,000 – the amount distributed by the festival since it started in 1997.
The not-for-profit music festival which was held over five days in July had its most successful year yet and was proud to increase its donations to local charities including Ferriers Barn Centre for the Disabled, St Helena’s and St Nicholas Hospices, the children’s ward at Colchester Hospital and Essex Air Ambulance. Other local organisations included Noah’s Ark Nursery Group in Bures, Light in Colchester and the
Help Roxi Walk fund.
BMF chairman, Peter Harries, said: ‘Tonight we’re increasing the funds we distribute among charities and good causes by another £9,500 and celebrating the involvement of so many people who give their time to help bring the festival off the planning papers and into real life – an event that gives so much back to the village. To all of you I would like to say thank you.’
The evening – which was attended by the committee, friends and beneficiaries of the festival – kicked off with a light-hearted recap of highlights from the festival before moving on to the presentation itself. Representatives from each charity gave a short speech to explain how they would be using the funds after being awarded cheques by festival committee members.
- A cheque for £2,000 – the festival’s main donation – was awarded to Ferriers Barn Art and Craft Centre for the Physically Disabled in Bures which is celebrating its 40th year. The donation was received by Peter Heard who said: ‘I’d like to thank Bures Music Festival which does so much good for the village – it’s vitally important for local groups and charities.’
- Two cheques for £1,000 each went to St Nicholas Hospice in Bury St Edmunds and St Helena’s Hospice in Colchester and were gratefully received by the hospice’s events and community manager Sophie Harvey.
- The Dream Appeal which raises funds for the Children’s Ward at ColchesterGeneralHospital received £1,000. On behalf of the charity, chairman Graham Appleton stated, ‘Every penny donated is spent on the children – providing entertainment to take their minds off serious illness. It makes such a difference.’
- Noah’s Ark Nursery Group, which has provided affordable childcare in Bures since 1971 and is voluntary run by a group of parents, also received £1,000. Nursery leader, Jan McShane, thanked the festival committee, saying, ‘We’re very grateful for this generous donation which we’ll go towards extending our garden and outside play area.’
- A donation of £200 went to Essex Air Ambulance, the charity supported by the late Jim Aries, a former festival committee member who died last year.
- A cheque for £600 was awarded to Help Roxi Walk – a charity raising money for a pioneering operation for two-year-old Roxi who has Spastic Diplegia
Cerebral Palsy. - Light therapeutic centre for sufferers of abuse in childhood, based in Colchester, received £200.
- A long list of Bures groups that received donations from the festival included the cricket, tennis and football clubs, the village community centre and sports ground, scouts group, both local churches and the Darby and Joan club.
Peter Harries rounded up the formal part of the evening by saying: ‘Thanks again to
all of you who give so much of your time to help us run the festival and to all of the charities and good causes for coming along tonight and talking about your use of the funds we generate.
The revelries continued with a delicious buffet provided by The Eight Bells and live music from The Flaming Llamas.
For images and more information, please contact Alice Butler on alice@alicebutler.co.uk
