Shropshire Star

Country meets the countryside at village music festival - in photos

Country came to the countryside when hundreds of music fans descended on a field near Bridgnorth to enjoy a weekend of fun.

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Dave and Jane Morgan from Derbyshire strut their stuff

There was a fine mixture of local and national bands at the Country & Western festival as well as a number of solo artists including Colt Murphy, Donna Wylde and Warren Dewitt.

Among the line up at the Rebel Rising Music Festival, which was held in the small village of Alveley, were the Smokey Mountain Boys and Carol Anne B.

Festival-goers, who had been arriving at the site since early on Friday afternoon ready to stake their pitch, got in to the spirit of things by donning themed outfits.

Country and Western fans put their line dancing skills to the test
Country and Western fans enjoying the music
It felt like the wild west at the Rebel Rising Festival
Gary Coles and Janet Fortey from Birmingham
Warren Dewitt performing
Warren Dewitt performing
Ray Kennedy, left, from Birmingham and Chris Shipley from Lichfield

Solo artist Ben Thompson opened the festival on Friday night.

Along with the music, various attractions took place such as the festival tradition quick draw competition, which will see the use of different guns in junior and senior competitions, and line dancing events.

There were also themed dressing up competitions, including cowboys and Indians and a hillbilly theme.

The festival was officially opened by the deputy mayor of Bridgnorth in an ceremony on Saturday morning.

For those who got a little peckish, there were food and a licensed bar along with trade stands.

Line dancing tutorials along with competitions took place throughout the festival, and there were a mixture of stalls selling country memorabilia.

And fans were tapping their feet when instrumentalist extraordinaire Woodchuck came on stage to close the show playing his various instruments including the banjo, guitar and flute.

Organiser Steve Farrar said that the event, which he hoped would raise £3,500 for charity, looked like being a huge success.

Barabara Wilson from Wolverhampton
B&C Country performing
B&C Country performing
Dave and Jane Morgan from Derbyshire
Dave and Jane Morgan from Derbyshire
Pictured left to right: Lawrence Corbett, Fran Moddocks and Brian Watson enjoying the show
Pictured left to right: Steve Ralph, Bob Ralph and Lyndon Chance

"The appeal of real Country & Western is growing," he said, "and there is no one more charitable that the Country & Western community. We have covered our costs and now, whatever we make will be for charity.

"We had some great bands on the line-up, there really was something for everybody. We had a Western village with covered wagons and teepees, everyone got in to the spirit of it.

"It takes 12 months of planning to arrange an event like this, to book the bands and sort it all out. In fact I already have next year's festival in hand - but I have been arranging these sort of things for 31 years so I am an old hand at it.

"The weather has been ok, despite the rain on Friday night. We have more caravans and campers than last year so the signs are good."

The event, which is now in its eighth year, is held to raise money for the Midlands Air Ambulance and to date the festival has raised around £300,000 for a number of different charities, including British Heart Foundation, and Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Oswestry.