Great news! Ashford’s Festival in the Park is set to go ahead this year! Thanks to Find a Voice charity stepping in to team up with the event’s organizers, the festival will be better than ever!
The council’s Safety Advisory Group had been liaising with organizers to look at ways they might be able to adapt the event in order to save costs. Upon hearing the situation, Cllr Heather Hayward, portfolio holder for Performance and Direction, got in touch with Sam Griffin, Operations Manager at Find a Voice. The charity subsequently agreed to take on the administration of the event and is now liaising with organizers and the Council to finalize the necessary details.
Now that the charity has stepped in, they can apply under this status and pay minimal costs for the application and water and electricity supply costs. The Council has also advised them on potential grant funding which might be available to support the event.
Ashford’s Festival in the Park has been running since 2005, relying on donations from businesses and the public and with performers and volunteers giving their time for free.
Ashford charity Find a Voice has been supporting children and adults with communication difficulties for 27 years.
They offer support including loaning communication aids free of charge, supporting schools, providing lessons at their center and helping people with a range of communication methods.
Cllr Heather Hayward said: “I am so pleased we were able to find a way for this event to continue. I have supported Find a Voice’s work in the past and thought it might be an opportunistic pairing so got in touch with them. In teaming up with Find a Voice both parties can benefit each other and our residents and visitors can look forward to a fantastic weekend of free, local music.”