THE ninth Teddy Rocks Festival drew record crowds and raised thousands of pounds for charity in the process over the bank holiday weekend.
The music event at Charisworth Farm, Blandford, took place from Friday to Sunday, with all profits going to children’s cancer charity Teddy20.
Tom Newton and his family set up the charity after he lost his 10-year-old brother Ted in 2010 to a very rare bone cancer.
The festival has grown in size year-on-year after starting out in a pub back in 2011.
Teddy Rocks 2019 saw camping sell out and the site was at capacity on Saturday. By the end of the second day £85,400 had been raised.
Mr Newton said: “It’s been absolutely incredible.
“It’s been the day we all as a crew have been waiting for since the first time we ever did this back in the pub.
“It has been a completely unique experience.
“We are growing rapidly every year but we have skipped a couple of years’ growth this time.
“It has been amazing and phenomenal.”
The festival was headlined by The Darkness and The Zutons, with a range of acts performing across four stages.
Mr Newton hoped to reach a six-figure fundraising total by the end of the festival.
“Last year our biggest crowd was 2,500 people,” said Mr Newton. “This year we had 5,000 people in the field.
“If someone said to us when we first started the festival in 2011 that this would have been an option, it would have been the dream. We are just a bunch of mates.
“Losing someone is awful and you find a way to cope. When Ted passed away I just put a Facebook post up saying I was going to put a gig on in memory of Ted. Within 15 minutes, I had 42 bands confirmed.
“A lot of wonderful people have been there throughout it and the whole festival belongs to them.
“It is unbelievable to think we put a drum kit and a couple of amps together, moved four tables, used cable ties for the banner and the festival was built. It is quite overwhelming but I am very proud. We have incredible support from our sponsors and they make it possible because it is not a cheap event to put on.”
Tickets are on sale now for next year’s Teddy Rocks Festival. For more information, visit teddyrocks.co.uk.
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