Fabulous funds raised at this year’s Babbacombe Festival
The 2011 Babbacombe Festival had something for everyone and, despite some rainy days during the 12-day Festival last month, organisers are very pleased with how the whole event went.
2011 saw the introduction of some new events to the Festival including the fun Tug of War on Oddicombe Beach which was won by a team from the Buccaneer. There was a Barn Dance and Ceilidh, held in the Festival Marquee. Roy and Jackie Halsey from Bishopsteignton came over to Babbacombe for the evening and said “We had a great time. The atmosphere was fun and friendly and the entertainment laid on was excellent. We’d definitely come again if it’s on next year.” Another new event for 2011 was The 3 Choirs, where Torbay Gospel Singers, The Big Noise Chorus and Riviera Sound provided a delightful evening of musical entertainment.
As well as the new events, lots of now-familiar favourites were also held, including the Flower Festival at Furrough Cross Church, historical guided walks, bowls taster sessions, the ukulele workshop and the Babbacombe Corinthian Sailing Club Regatta to name but a few.
The Festival also discovered new talent in the form of teenager Freddie Hill. He’d been busking on Babbacombe Downs when the Festival Marquee was being set up and so impressed organisers that he was asked to play his saxophone to a 400-strong crowd at the Hanbury’s Fish and Chips Music Festival and he was a huge hit, along with all the other live entertainment on the day. This great day, organised by David Hanbury, raised a fabulous
£10,000 for charity. £7,500 goes to Rowcroft Hospice and £2,500 to Children’s Hospice South West. David Hanbury said “I am absolutely delighted with how the day went. Yet again we have received fabulous local support. Hopefully people enjoyed their day on Babbacombe Downs and I want to thank everyone who came along to join in the fun. I’m particularly grateful for all the help and support I received from Martyn Strange of the Babbacombe Inn and Conway Hoare of Torbay Council, along with everyone else who gave their time and energy to help out on this special day. I’d also like to thank the Herald Express and Palm FM for helping us spread the word and ensuring a great turn out. We’ve already started planning our 2012 event and will hopefully have the same line-up of live music. At the moment, we’re looking at Sunday 24th June as the date.”
The 2011 Babbacombe Festival finished on a high with Armed Forces Day, with guest of honour, Chelsea Pensioner, Bryan Cummings. The Veterans’ Parade was led by the fabulous Royal Marine Band Plymouth and the crowds were out in force with an estimated 5,000 people enjoying the great atmosphere on Babbacombe Downs.
The Babbacombe Festival has two websites – www.babbacombe.org which has a gallery of photos from this and previous years’ Festivals, and www.babbacombefestival.com which features a slideshow of images from this year’s events in the Festival Marquee. So, to keep up to date with all the news, and to see if you feature in any of the photographs, why not visit the websites today.