Festival gets ready to rock

The singer is no stranger to Chippenham as a number of years ago he performed at Goldiggers nightclub.

He said he is really looking forward to appearing at the festival on Saturday night.

"It is a great opportunity to perform to a different audience," he said. "It is a chance to really show what we can do. I have been down to the park to see the stage and it looks a fantastic set up.

"I am confident the whole event is going to go really well. I am very excited by it."

Up to 100,000 people are expected to visit the gala event in Monkton Park between tomorrow and Sunday.

The biggest event of the weekend will be Starr's free concert on Saturday night. Featuring alongside the soul legend will be disco kings Heatwave and former Eurovision winner Katrina.

But the festival has something for all the family with a children's programme, advice for gardening enthusiasts and sports displays by North Wiltshire Leisure. There are also a number of trade stands.

NORTH Wiltshire Festival 2002, the biggest event in the district, is set to be the best yet with three days of non-stop free entertainment for all the family.

Months of planning and preparation will culminate in the business, community and leisure festival that opens tomorrow and runs until Sunday in Monkton Park in Chippenham drawing tens of thousands of people into the town.

For many, the highlight of the event will be an all-star concert on Saturday night, featuring big name artists Edwin Starr and Eurovision singer Katrina, as well as a host of bands guaranteed to appeal to all the family.

But the fun never stops live entertainment will be provided on the main stage throughout the three days.

And demonstrations, dancing, hands-on activities, children's events, competitions and boat trips on the river are all on the cards, to make North Wiltshire Festival 2002 a weekend to remember.

More than 200 businesses are exhibiting in themed arenas, to promote their wares and invite visitors to take part in competitions.

Monkton Park and Island Park will be transformed into a colourful showground with a huge variety of entertainments.

The first day of the festival will have a business focus, with a reception for local company representatives, Business Link seminars and a corporate challenge event in Monkton Park in the afternoon.

Day two will provide a feast of entertainments.

Festival-goers can visit the community and business exhibitions, watch demonstrations by Whitehall Garden Centre and North Wiltshire Leisure, and take their children to see the Splott Brothers street theatre show or the Makendoo workshops.

As the afternoon draws to a close, the crowds will gather in Monkton Park for a concert to remember.

The night will kick off with a performance by the winner of the Battle of the Bands competition as voted for by local people at 5pm on the main stage.

Then Swindon boy band Ess Teem, eight-piece girl/boy band Bless'd, Respect, the Pasadenas, Heatwave, Katrina and soul legend Edwin Starr will sing and dance the night away.

The night will close with a spectacular firework display, when hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of fireworks, sponsored by Jarvis, will explode over the town to signal the end of a memorable night.

Sunday will be family day, kicking off at 10am in Island Park with a festival market.

Gardening fans can visit an HTV Garden Roadshow in the morning, and another demonstration by staff from Whitehall Garden Centre.

Then at 5pm Chippenham Churches Together will present a concert by Christian musician and singer Noel Richard and his band.

His lively set of rock and gospel music will finish at 6pm, when a charity balloon race will be launched and, weather permitting, hot air balloons will rise into the sky, bringing the festival to a majestic close.

North Wiltshire Leisure Limited will have a stand at the festival and a packed programme of demonstrations and events over the three days.

On Friday NWLL will be offering free healthy lifestyle assessments to all the businesses at the festival.

At 2.30pm, at the NWLL stand, staff will present a two-week Caribbean holiday prize to Constance Amory, part of a promotion run earlier in the year to promote Activa membership.

NWLL is running lots of promotions and competitions over the three days, including £50 off Activa for Life membership. The special discount will apply to anyone who visits the stand or one of NWLL's leisure centres on the three festival days.

NWLL will also have a prize draw for three mountain bikes, donated by Halfords and Specialized, two of the many companies that work in partnership with NWLL.

The leisure company has also organised a host of displays. Children from as young as 18 months will impress an audience at the main arena from 10am on Saturday, with their pre-school gymnastics fun.

The junior gymnasts will show off their warm up routines and trampolinists will perform a few moves and routines, followed by a Tai Chi demonstration at 11am.

Visitors can also test out some of the Activa for Life gym equipment over the three days of the festival.

North Wiltshire Festival 2002 will also raise hundreds of pounds for charity.

District Council chairman Coun Brian Atfield is promoting the balloon race to raise money for Cancer Research UK and 25p from the sale of each programme will go towards the Gazette and Herald's St John Ambulance Appeal.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the local businesses that have supported the event, many of which have done so for several years," said Coun Atfield.

"I sincerely hope you enjoy your time at the festival and support the many businesses and charities that are represented.

"Let the fun begin."

Have a high old time on the Gazette

Fun for all the family will be the order of the day at the Gazette and Herald stand during North Wiltshire Festival 2002.

The Gazette has organised three busy days of entertainments for children and the chance of a welcome rest for busy parents.

The Gazette bouncy castle will be up and bouncing on Saturday and Sunday, raising funds for the St John0 Ambulance Appeal.

Youngsters can have their faces painted on Saturday from 10am to 11.30am and 2pm to 4pm, and all day Sunday. Hairbraiding will be available all day Saturday, with proceeds going to the appeal.

A Gazette stilt walker will be wandering around the show on Saturday and balloon modelling will be the order of the day on Sunday.

The Gazette has treats on offer for adults, too. A coffee bar will be open every day, as well as a Sainsbury's food tasting stall, with lots of free samples on offer.

Gazette staff will also be on hand to chat to visitors and find out what they think about the newspaper.

Visitors can also hand in entries to festival competitions, with a chance to win a day out @Bristol, or family season tickets for Bowood House, or Sunday lunches at Cumberwell Park in Bradford on Avon.

Programme sales will boost appeal

VISITORS to the North Wiltshire Festival will help boost the Gazette's appeal to buy a new ambulance for Wiltshire St John Ambulance.

A donation of 25p from the sale of every £1 programme from the event will go to our appeal to raise £40,000 to buy a state-of-the-art Crusader ambulance.

The North Wiltshire Festival starts tomorrow and runs until Sunday at Monkton Park, Chippenham.

The Gazette is one of the sponsors of the festival, which is expected to attract 100,000 people.

On Friday the focus is on business with talks and seminars throughout the day.

Saturday's programme includes demonstrations, live entertainment, children's activities and culminates in a live family concert in the evening.

The festival finishes on Sunday with a family day.

The festival programme is packed with information about the festival, including a map of where everything is taking place, full concert and event listings and details of where to find each exhibitor.

There are also articles on all the acts which will be appearing at the Saturday night concert and details of all the weekend's other performers.

There are also exclusive Gazette competitions inside to win meals for two and family days out.

Look out for the programme on sale at: Quemerford Post Office, 171 Quemerford, Calne; Europa News, 1-2 Mill Street, Calne; Lyndon News, 11c New Road, Chippenham; Misselbrook & Weston, Unit 5a Foundry Lane, Chippenham; McColls, 60 Redlands, Chippenham; Newshops Ltd/Holland, 17 Market Place, Chippenham; Park Stores (Cost Cutters) 17a Conway Road, Chippenham; Pickwick Papers (Chaplins), 15 Pickwick Road, Corsham; Baileys News Ltd, 4 Market Cross, Chippenham; Texaco, Pickwick Road, Corsham; Gazette & Herald Office, Chippenham; Gazette & Herald Office, Devizes, plus all North Wiltshire Leisure Limited Leisure Centres.

If you are organising a fund-raising event for our St John Ambulance appeal call reporter Jill Crooks on (01380) 723501.

What's in store for all family to enjoy

Friday

9.30am: Olympiad Studio Hall, business welcome reception with guest speaker HSBC chief economist Mark Beresford Smith

11am: Monkton Park, official opening.

Noon to 1pm: Olympiad Studio Hall, Business Link seminar

1pm: Monkton Park, Classic Gold FM with Andy Westgate

2-3pm: Olympiad Studio Hall, Business Link seminar

3-4pm: Monkton Park, jubilee corpora-te challenge

4-5pm: Olympiad Studio Hall, Business Link seminar

Saturday

10am-5pm: Monkton Park, Business and Community exhibition

Noon-2pm: Island Park, Makendoo children's workshop

12.30pm: Monkton Park, Splott Brothers street theatre show

1-2pm: Monkton Park, Splott Brothers circus skills

3-5pm: Island Park, Makendoo children's workshop

4pm: Monkton Park, Splott Brothers show

Ongoing: Monkton Park, Wok@work cookery demonstrations

Ongoing: Business Marquee 2, Whitehall Garden Centre demos

Ongoing: Business Marquee 2, North Wiltshire Leisure demos

Ongoing: Island Park, HTV garden roadshow

Saturday night

Bands appearing on the main stage in Monkton Park:

4pm: Battle of the bands winner

4.30pm: Ess Teem

5pm: Bless'd

6pm: Respect

7pm: Pasadenas

8pm: Katrina

8.45pm: Heatwave

9.45pm: Edwin Starr

Sunday

10am: Island Park, festival market

11am: Business Marquee 2, HTV Garden roadshow

From 11am: Business Marquee 2, Whitehall Garden Centre demos

5pm: Monkton Park, Chippenham Churches together present Noel

Richard and his band

6pm: Monkton Park, helium and hot air

balloon finale

6.30pm: Monkton Park, festival closes