Annual music festival returns to Market Drayton
Preparations are well underway for a town's major annual music festival.
Early bird tickets for Market Drayton's Rock and Bowl Festival are selling quickly, organisers have said.
Last year thousands of music fans descended on the town for the event, which will be held this year from May 27 to 29.
A total of £3,685 was raised for the Midlands Air Ambulance last year in memory of Merrick Burns, 27, who died after a crash at the Grinshill junction on June 8 in 2015.
This year the fundraising money will be donated to Royal Voluntary Service – a volunteer organisation that enrich the lives of older people and their families.
Laurence Payne, one of the organisers, said this year's festival will once again be held in the picnic area in Newport Road.
He said: "Last year was the most successful yet with glorious weather. The early bird tickets for this year's event are selling fast. They provide a huge saving from the gate price. The early bird price is for a limited time only.
"We have confirmed our headline acts for this year – which include Abba Arrival and Green Haze."
Other headline acts include A Special Kind Of Madness, the Rozzers and Hipster. Early bird tickets are £16 for one day entry for an adult, or £33 for the weekend.
For children aged between 13 and 17, one day entry is £14 or £28 for the weekend. Children under 12 go free when they are accompanied by an adult.
To purchase a ticket, go to
www.rockandbowlfestival.com
The festival was launched in 2009 to fill the void left by the cancellation of Market Drayton's carnival and money raised goes to local charities. In 2015 a record 4,800 people attended, an increase of more than 1,000 from the 3,500 who attended the year before.
