16c Fair
Workhouse Festival, Llanfyllin, Powys
http://workhousefestival.co.uk/
The Workhouse Festival takes place in Llanfyllin, Powys, from July 10 - 12. Tickets £69, junior £39.
IT IS satisfying to find a festival that's developed to more than a hippy with a harmonica, but hasn't yet become a commercialised "McFestival". The Workhouse in Powys fits that description and, according to festival organiser Andrea Proffitt, it's going to stay that way.
She and a group of friends started the festival as a day event six years ago to raise money for the historic workhouse building.
Andrea said: "It started as a day festival and things snowballed from there, the next year it ran over two days and then over three days.
"But there came a point when the trustees of the Workhouse building had to pay back their loan to the heritage fund, and so were forced to sell the estate.
"We scratched our heads a bit and realised we'd raised enough money from running the festival to actually buy the place.
"We put together a business plan in 2006 and managed to get a loan from the ecological building society.
"The whole thing is now run by about 40-50 volunteers, who all work flat out, and all the money goes back into the event and maintenance. "
All the hard work has paid off - the Workhouse festival now attracts 5,000 people and is often described as a mini-Glastonbury.
Andrea added: "We've made a few changes this year, with bigger, more open stages and some of the highlights include performances from the Blockheads, the Roseville Band, and the Holloways, as well as a mix of everything from indie to dance, fiddles, poetry, a cinema, a healing centre, and a place for new and unsigned bands."
The Roseville Band, who come from Wrexham, say they can't wait to play there.
Vocalist Andy Jones, 27, said: "We're really excited about headlining there, it will be one of the biggest things we've done.
"The festival has got a great vibe and is highly imaginative. It's smaller than a lot of festivals, which I think is a good thing, and they promote a lot of new bands."
The band, who have their debut album coming out in October, say they are grateful to have a platform for performing the music they love.
"Our music is like traditional rock and roll with roots and blues influence, rather than anything contemporary," said Andy.
"We've resisted jumping on a bandwagon. While other people have dressed in fluorescent clothing and called themselves table and chairs, we've stuck to what we enjoy doing, the music that we've grown up with."
