Music festival to be held at Elmswell’s Blackbourne Community Centre

A music festival is heading to a Suffolk town this weekend, complete with three ukulele bands, two folk bands and an electric guitar auction.

The main aim of the free music festival in Elmswell, east of Bury St Edmunds, is to provide the village’s community with a vibrant get-together.

The event will run in the Blackbourne Community Centre in Blackbourne Road, between 1pm and 8pm on Saturday, July 1. Organiser Kevin Knock is a member of Elmswell’s Wesley Ukulele Band, which will play at the festival and decide which charities to support through the money raised.

Kevin said: “The band has raised nearly £7,000 over the two years we’ve been playing – including for Elmswell’s foodbank, families of stillborn children, and the family of a local child with leukemia.

“If we raise £100, we will choose one charity to give the money to. If we raise £1,000, we will divide it between a few.

“Even if we don’t raise much, it is all about getting residents together. After Covid, we found a lot of people were wary about going out and meeting others, and particularly older people.

“The event will include a tombola run by the town’s over-55’s club, which may encourage a few of these people to sign up to be members.

“We will also have face painting for children. The festival is designed for people of all ages.”

A Squier Stratocaster electric guitar will be auctioned off on the day. It was given to Kevin by a man in his 80s who saw him coming home from ukulele practise. The owner said he’d never used it, so the instrument is in pristine condition.

As it’s the first music festival he’s organising, Kevin is feeling a bit stressed. However, if he pulls it off this year, he’s looking forward to making it an annual event.

Money will be raised through food, drinks and activity stalls, while entry will be free of charge.