Pictures by festival photographer Chris Taylor
IN my other occupation as Mangotsfield’s funeral director I will often say to the families that I am looking after that “the one thing I can’t control is the weather”.
Even if I had been able to, I really could not have done better than the weather we were presented with for the festival on June 10.
The glorious sunshine seemed to lift the mood of the entire village as we began our traditional parade from the green, opposite The Lamb, which used to host the festival in years gone by, to our new site on the Johnson Road Playing Fields, courtesy of the Pomphrey Hill Community Sports Association.
A new addition to the parade was the fabulous samba band, The Sambistas, who really helped to make a loud, joyous noise and announced, in style, the return of the festival following its four-year hiatus.
Families gravitated towards the parade and were drawn from their houses to dance on their doorstops, even those we in cars we had to stop were having a little boogie in their seats.
Sincere apologises to anyone who was hoping for a Saturday morning lie-in!
Sadly the unexpectedly high temperatures meant that we had to cancel the dog show to ensure the safety of any dogs present but throughout the day we had a real mix of talented local schools, clubs, groups and bands in the central arena with something for everyone.
Walking around the festival site there was a genuine feeling of happiness, togetherness and the sense of a return to the roots of a “proper village festival”.
We are grateful to all those who have supported this years festival, many of whom gave up their time before, during and after the event, to help set up, run and clear away. We really could not have done it without them.
With any major event there will always be lessons to be learned and the planning committee will meet for a post-festival review so we can address any problems and make any necessary changes or improvements for future festivals.
Mangotsfield Festival is designed solely for the benefit of the community and in order for it to continue and thrive we need support from those within it.
If you would be interested in joining the committee for any future festivals or even just helping out at the event then please keep an eye on our website www.mangotsfieldfestival.co.uk for the announcement of our annual general meeting later in the year.
