More merriment on the horizon in Spetisbury (From Bournemouth Echo)

More merriment on the horizon in Spetisbury

11:30am Wednesday 21st July 2010 in

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A “small but amazing” charity music festival will return to Spetisbury in August.

Villager Tim Wood first staged the Music and Merriment jamboree last year to raise money for hospice charity Weldmar.

“I grew up at the foot of the festival site, Spetisbury Rings, and as a child always thought it would be a great place to have a festival,” he said.

“It wasn’t until my mum sadly died of cancer in 2006, and was so incredibly well cared for by the Weldmar Hospicecare Trust, that I had a reason big enough to attempt it.”

Festivals have been a life-long passion for Tim, a technician working in the television industry, who has volunteered at Oxford’s Cropredy festival for 10 years.

Spetisbury’s Iron Age hill fort provided an irresistible lure when he decided to launch his own event last year.

“It’s a very atmospheric location.

“The view from the top is of miles and miles of unspoilt Dorset countryside,” said Tim.

“As a child, I used to think what a great place to sit and think and stare out across the countryside – and what a fantastic place for a festival.”

Last year’s event attracted a crowd of some 300 people and 40 performers who played for 11 hours, raising £2,500 for the charity.

“I’d intended last year’s event to be a one-off, but people left absolutely buzzing. It’s because of them that we’re doing it again,” said Tim.

Jenny Wood, Tim’s sister (pictured above), said working on the festival had been a cathartic experience, and had been an opportunity to introduce people to an “amazing and beautiful” location. Performers including Pete Christie, Bel Casino and Bliss are already booked to perform on the main stage at this year’s festival on Saturday, August 21. Visit musicandmerriment.co.uk