Funding plea for longest-running music festival

Up to 5,000 people can be expected to attend the festival across the two days.

Clarence Park hosts the longest-running outdoor free festival in Yorkshire and has done so since 1991, but organisers now admit it is forcing members to help cover the shortfall in running costs.

Chairwoman of Wakefield Music Collective, Kate Honeyman, is appealing for people to dig deep ahead of this year’s festival on the weekend of July 28 and 29.

She said: “It’s increasingly difficult to raise funds and cover the costs.

Kate Honeyman is asking people to donate.

“We’ve got some great sponsors, but we’ve had to fund some of it ourselves and we shouldn’t have to do that, we certainly don’t make anything from this and it take us at 10 months to organise it each year.

“It costs £10,000 to organise, and we’re just trying to raise £2,000.”

More than 20 bands and artists will be taking to the stage at the Denby Dale Road park across the two days.

Headliners this year are both from Wakefield, with heavy blues-rock band, Piston Broke topping the bill on Saturday, and psychedelic pop outfit The Incredible Magpie Band on the Sunday.

Over the years the festival has attracted some big acts, including 90s Britpop outfit, Dodgy.

Kate said: “People look forward to it every year.

“Our ethos has always been to give music away for free where possible and we want to keep doing that.

“We have re-launched our JustGiving page to reach our budget target.

“We have to pay for utilities and services to be on site like toilets, skips, fencing, first aid provision and security.

“People need to support it to keep it going, even if it’s just donating £5 to help.

“Some people think it’s all paid for by the council when it isn’t.”

To donate, log onto www.justgiving.com and search for ‘Clarence Park Festival 2018’.