When I arrived, about
100 people were camping, and Release had set up a small welfare post. There
was plenty of dead wood for campfires available in the nearby woods. dater
was being brought onto site from taps in the nearest villages, or was obtained
from a stream next to the site. Release ,put up site notices advising people
to boil the water before drinking it and not to cut down living trees. Some
small latrine trenches were dug, but most people used the bushes and woods.
Some mess was caused but on the whole, excrement was easily buried in the
soft earth and forest flooring.
Over the weekend 2 -
300 people camped at the festival. There was no stage but accoustic music
was played around the campfires and car cassettes and radios were played.
Many people were young inhabitants of the area and Wales, and some of the
local people came up to visit the festival.
There were plenty of
food vans and kitchens on site over the weekend, selling a wide selection
of food at very reasonable prices, and there was also a free food kitchen.
There were stalls selling crafts and produce.
Release were very busy
over the weekend dealing with people who were very distressed at having
been stopped and searched by the police on their way to the festival. It
seemed that over the weekend almost every one entering or leaving the festival
site was stopped and searched by the police. I was stopped in my hired van
when leaving the site to go shopping on Saturday. I was detained for nearly
an hour at the side of the road whilst all my belongings were taken out
of the van and thoroughly searched and a policedog was put in the back of
the van. My details and those of two welfare volunteer passengers with me,
were again radioed through for checking. Needless to say, we were very upset
and annoyed with the delay and inconvenience this caused, and hoped it wouldn't
happen if the welfare workers were taking an emergency to hospital. Fortunately
there were no accidents on site and Release dealt only with a few minor
cuts and stomach upsets. Many of the people distressed by the humiliation
of the Police searches were intending to make formal complaints.
After the weekend the
numbers on site reduced, some people leaving to go on another free festival
north of Bristol. There were rumours that the people from this this festival
would make their way up to the Cantlin Stone site, but by mid week, when
I left, it did not seem as if this was likely to happen.
I had been in contact
with the local authority environmental health department before and during
the festival. Release had taken rubbish sacks onto the site and distributed
them to the festival people, who collected up their litter. The full sacks
were piled at the side of the road and arrangements were made for the sacks
to be collected by the council rubbish lorry.
Apart from the overwhelming
police activity, the festival went very smoothly with few problems.
Penny Mellor.
FWS
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August
4th – 6th 1989.
In 89 a
few of us went on bikes and there were some guys with a small
generator and a band, the only time I saw a band at Cantlin stone.They were a bit worried that the Police would hassle them
as they might be viewed as holding people back from departing
the site. There were also a quite few traveller people there.
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August
1990.
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in 1990 there was a lot more people there with a mix of vehicles, the
weather was also great, but no stage or bands while we were there
but this was the best I had seen it. Little did I know that this would
be the last time for me. |
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In
1991 by the time we got there everybody had moved on to Llanbister. When
I went back to the Cantlin stone site some months later a ditch had been
dug along all the tracks around the site presumably to prevent any vehicles
parking up there in the future.
Herb
hi
i was at cantlin stone festival in 81.Paul Bigland and myself hitched down from southport travelling the last mile hanging off a single seat tractor as it bounced over the fields..the toxteth riots where happening and there seemed to be a lot of tension around other towns and cities(introduction of poll tax if my memory serves me) consequently there was very little police presence, in fact we got stopped once by the police and asked if we where looking for the festival site and given directions..On arriving we pitched tents next to release,mine wasnt waterproof so with a big sheet of white plastic we covered said tent.by nightfall the white sides of the tent where literally covered in felt tip pen signs and remarks all based on the toxteth riots,,I remember one event that happened quite clearly a baby was born in one of the convoy vans.It was a good week.Its a pity these free events have since been hounded and stopped by the state.
