Shropshire Star

Shropshire village fun day and mini music festival raises £4k for charity

A village fun day and mini-music festival staged in a Shropshire village has raised more than £4,000 for charity.

Published

Rodfest saw Rodington, between Wellington and Shrewsbury, host live performances and also included a barbecue, bar, go-karting, football, bouncy castles and activities for children and families.

More than 1,000 people attended the event, which marked the fourth successive year of community fundraising for good causes by a group in Rodington.

The organisers, led by Graham Davies, have raised around £15,000 over the years for charities including Midland Air Ambulance, Severn Hospice, Hope House Children’s Hospice and homeless charities KIP in Telford and The Shrewsbury Ark.

This year the priority was supporting mental health recovery and the local church. Rodfest raised £4,384.17 to support TACT (Telford Aftercare Team) in Wellington and St George’s Church, Rodington.

Tom Currie, one of the organisers, said: “Mental illness can be life-changing, debilitating and in some instances lead to suicide. This year saw a record number of young people take their own lives in the UK.

“Depression and anxiety are by far the most common mental health disorders.

“Quite often this is associated with alcohol and or drug misuse. TACT support recovery from substance misuse and mental ill-health.

“I would like to thank all who contributed to this fantastic event which really did demonstrate, in the midst of all the cynicism the world throws up, what a wonderful, caring community Rodington and all its friends really are.

“Some people including Graham Davies (Simply Green) and Andy Preston (Andymech) put their businesses on hold whilst organising this event and a special thanks goes to our donors, too numerous to mention but they know who they are.”