Formatted at 1920 X 1020 minimum - failure to view at this res may cause weird formatting , you have been warned !!!!!!!

Updated July 2021

Fennit Free Festival, Sutton Gault,nr Ely Cambridgeshire. August 7-9th 1981.

F.W.S Field Workers report
This 3 day free festival in the fenland was well organised by local people and attended mainly by local people. I arrived late on Saturday night in the dark and pouring rain, so I didn't see much that night.

It was still raining on Sunday and the site was extremely muddy. The track leading to the festival was along the top of a dike which was very slippery to drive along and almost impossible to pass another vehicle. It was better suited to bikes and the whole festival was geared to them, even including a best bike show.

It was a great shame about the weather because the site was very nice and seemed a good festival, although spirits were dampened. About 1000 people had attended the festival on Friday and Saturday when the weather had been better. A good stage had been built and local bands played. The organisers had built and were running a bar to cover part of the cost of putting on the festival, which they had spent a lot of time and money getting together. They had made arrangements with a local farmer to use one of his fields after harvest and had borrowed scaffolding and other equipment from local firms.

The organisers had built separate ladies and gents toilets using the model in FWS's "Healthy Festival Sites", and had organised free food kitchens and other food and craft stalls. There was no water supply on site, so water runs were done and the advertising for the festival had warned people to bring their own supply. There was plenty of dead wood for fires in the nearby copse.

The main problem of the festival was the inaccessibility of the site. It was very remote and a long way from the nearest hospital if there had been a serious accident. At least there were a lot of people there with knowledge of the locality and very capable organisers. Emergency vehicles were also on standby during the festival.

I understand the festival is to be held again next year on a different site with better access. I hope the organisers put in as much effort and that the festival is as together as this year. It would be nice to see more people making use of the good facilities and more craft stalls. I also recommend that some people with first aid training are again organised to be on standby for the duration of the festival.

Penny Mellor.

Tibetan Ukra(i)nian Mountain Troupe at Fennit