What a fantastic night!

The sun shone, the countryside looked magnificent and the crowds arrived. The villagers marshalled, the farmer mowed the car park, the bands played, the Pimms flowed and the guests opened their purses and wallets for three great charities.

Music in the Meadow is a fun night out for all the family held in the grounds of our house which nestles in a valley in the east of Leicestershire. Surrounded by mature trees our quiet little village that houses only 80 inhabitants suddenly was rocking to the sound of music - and lots of it!

Last Saturday night we raised £27,500 for charity from a relatively small pop concert. Around 600 folk enjoyed their picnics, drank a few bevies and danced the night away to great music in aid of a charity called Steps that helps children with celebral palsy and Down syndrome (http://www.stepscentre.org/); a 25 year-old young man who had his neck broken whilst training for the under 21’s England Rugby team five years ago, (www.matthampson.co.uk); and the village hall and church of Ashby Folville where the event was hosted.

A ‘Mega Raffle’ is the main fund raiser with no less that 10 holidays or breaks to be won from South Africa to Turkey, Center Parcs to the Marriott County Hall Hotel in London, from Ragdale Hall to Stapleford Park both in Leicestershire. Then there’s the Tombola to beat all tombolas. Hundreds of super prizes up for grabs with a great chance of winning as we up the stakes from one in ten to one in six chances of winning. No one goes away disappointed.

But this year we’d been given a diamond necklace by Goldsmiths, a CAT watch by Lumbers and a crystal flying dolphin by Swarovski, so we ran an extra raffle for the night which raised an extra £500.

The key to our event raising so much cash is simply that there are no expenses deducted. The bands (four of them: three local and one from the USA - Don Watson and his band who flew in specially from Vail, Colorado for the event), all play for free. The marquees are provided by Owen Brown. The toilets and the generator that enable the event to happen are paid for by Raynsway Properties. The electrics, staging, lighting and technical back-up is given by Hawthorn. Then there’s the insurance, printing, website, design, publicity and much more – all given for free.

Even the Pimms and the wine that’s sold during the event is paid for by a sponsor. There are no expenses.

The end result - a fantastic night of fun and everybody wins. Long may Music in the Meadow continue and long may we dance and laugh, spend and smile and enjoy every moment of a very special event. Thank you all for coming, helping, supporting and giving. It was fun!

To view the pictures taken during the event (thank you Lionel Heap) and for the winners of our raffle prizes, log on to http://www.musicinthemeadow.co.uk/.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO CAME, EVERYONE WHO GAVE AND EVERYONE WHO MADE IT FUN!

Music in the Meadow - we're getting there!

For the past three years Mike and I have hosted a live pop concert in the grounds of our home to raise funds for Steps Conductive Education Centre, Matt Hampson - the under-21s England Rugby player who broke his neck in training in 2005, and the church and village hall where we live in Ashby Folville in Leicestershire. This year the event is being held on Bank Holiday Saturday, 28th August. Every pound taken for the event goes to the charities and the proceeds are distributed 70% to Steps, 20% to Matt and 10% is divided between the village hall and the church. In the last three years we have raised over £70,000 from this event which offers a fun night out listening to live bands in glorious surroundings plus a mega raffle which boasts 10 holidays/breaks to be won!

We are very fortunate to live in such an idyllic village which is surrounded by magnificent mature trees, has a cricket field, a beautiful pub – the Carington Arms, a church, and that’s it! On Music in the Meadow night the villagers help to steward the event and everyone has a fantastic time. Folk come from far and wide and bring along their gazebos, picnics and chairs or they sit on bales of straw. The stage looks magnificent against the backdrop of such a lovely piece of Leicestershire which nestles in a valley just below Melton Mowbray.

The event attracts about 500 – 1000 music-lovers who thoroughly enjoy themselves as well as buy raffle tickets galore as the prizes are so amazing plus we have a tombola which boasts a phenomenal number of outstanding gifts that have been donated from local firms. The tombola will include hundreds of prizes including vouchers for meals out, days out, hampers, cosmetics, gifts, pictures, flowers – you name it, it’s on there! On Saturday I was even given a diamond pendant by Goldsmiths in Leicester for the event which we are going to raffle separately on the night along with a stunning watch which has been donated by another jeweller, Lumbers, and Fenwicks have given us six Royal Doulton wine glasses ..and there’s so much more.

We serve Pimms and we will be dancing the night away until gone midnight. Personally we will have a house full of guests which I adore. There will be camp-beds for the children snuggled into various corners and every one of our bedrooms will be fully occupied and our bathrooms will be working flat out.

On the Friday I will be cooking bacon sandwiches for Mike and the workers who are setting up the marquees, staging, lighting, toilets and so on. Incredibly, all of these facilities are given to us free of charge which is how we can give every penny we receive to the charities. Companies like Raynsway and Owen Brown are phenomenally generous.

Then of course there are the bands who give their time and energy for free. The lead act, the Don Watson Band, fly in specially for the event from Colorado, USA. They are an extraordinarily gifted band who play requests from the audience throughout and I have yet to find a song that they don’t know or cannot play. They are outstandingly talented. The support acts are local bands Rock Bottom and Hopwood Junction plus we have a brilliant guitarist/singer David Wyatt who opens proceedings at 6 pm.

Check out the website www.musicinthemeadow.co.uk to see some of the pictures from last year and details of this year’s event. It really is a fantastic night out so if you don’t know what to do with yourself on bank holiday Saturday, why not pop along?

For tickets for the event or raffle tickets, please call Gaynor Cawood on 01509 622022.

You only have to ask!

As many readers of my Blog will know, on Saturday we are hosting a Music in the Meadow event in aid of STEPS charity and the Matt Hampson Trust as well as our local village hall and Church. It is a pop concert not a classical one and over the last few years the event has raised a substantial amount of money because, through the generosity of the companies who sponsor the event by offering goods and services for free, no expenses are deducted from the monies received. It works brilliantly.

Last year we added in a Tombola. Not a typical one where you might win a jar of jam, and if you’re really lucky, a bottle of Liebfraumilch, this Tombola is filled with amazing prizes that have been donated by all kinds of very generous companies. Christopher Ward, the luxury watchmaker has given us 15 watches; Fenwicks have given us a pile of lovely gifts; M & S have given us a Champagne Hamper with pink champagne, flutes, an ice bucket and five quality wines. The Co-op have given us a food hamper, Sainsbury’s - gift vouchers, local hotels have given us vouchers for meals for two, local entertainment destinations have given us family tickets, we’ve been given dozens of china tea sets, children’s toys and much, much more. Add into the mix that one in five tickets wins (instead of the usual ratio of one in ten) and it is not surprising that the Tombola is successful. Last year it raised £1500 on the night.

So why are people so generous? It is simply because we ask them. Most companies have items that are old stock, almost out of date, or hold little value to them but they are great for us! Last year people were leaving the Tombola tent laden with goods and that inspired massive interest for others to have a go. People were queuing for 1½ hours! No-one was disappointed.

So, today I’m off to cadge some more goods from shops I support throughout the year and now it’s my turn to ask for a favour. I have not been turned down yet!

If you think you might like to come to the event on Saturday, check out www.musicinthemeadow.co.uk. Tickets cost £20 for adults, £5 for children. Bring your own food and drink and you can buy Pimms or wine on the night if you wish. It’s free car parking. You can pay on the gate which opens at 5 pm and we expect it to go on till late. And the weather is looking good too! It will be a great night.

MUSIC IN THE MEADOW 2009

Their generosity know no bounds!

In a week’s time we will be hosting Music in the Meadow 2009. This is a highly professional gig which is more a mini Glastonbury than Glyndebourne, and we are hoping that everyone who attends will have a fantastic time but the icing on the cake is that every cost for staging the event has been met by the wonderful local companies who are providing all the equipment. Staging, lighting, facilities, marquees, printing, insurance have all been given to us, plus the bands are playing for no charge. Isn’t that brilliant!

In this economic climate I think it is extraordinary and inspiring that firms can be so generous and I hope that everyone will leave the event feeling that they have had a fun and entertaining evening, happy in the knowledge that every £ paid for an entry ticket, raffle ticket, Jug of Pimms or for a go on the Tombola will be given to the charities – STEPS Conductive Education Centre for children with cerebral palsy and Down syndrome,(70%), The Matt Hampson Trust (20%) and Ashby Folville Village charities (10%). Last year the event raised over £26,000.

So, on behalf of the charities, we would like to thank the following companies for their support. Without their help this event would not have been possible.


If you would like to join us on the evening, or buy a ticket for the Mega Raffle, check out the website www.musicinthemeadow.co.uk or call us on 01509 622022.

I’m exhausted!

It’s been a strange week. One filled with frustration at bureaucracy with the Highways Department as I’ve tried to get permission to erect posters to promote Music in the Meadow charity event; excitement as we photographed four wonderful successful slimmers for my magazine; the limitless generosity of our printer Geoff Lagor of Alpha Print who printed us an extra 350 posters for Music in the Meadow for free as the Highways Dept. were being so difficult, and Geoff Adams of Wordcraft who has printed us 10 roadside placards that are as big as a door (the Highways chaps will LOVE them! Not!) – also for free. Mike is all ready to erect them around our local villages on Saturday.

Check out the website www.musicinthemeadow.co.uk for details of the event being held on 29th August, 2009.

The tally so far for sales of Mega Raffle tickets, Gazebo Plot bookings and tickets for the Music in the Meadow event have already totalled £4k and everyone is getting excited. In two weeks’ time Ashby Folville will be turning into a mini Glastonbury and we will be ready for action. But in the meantime, I’m exhausted. It’s because organising events like this – with a wonderful team of helpers – takes time and it has to be fitted in between doing the day job and life carrying on as it does with all its twists and turns, ups and downs.

Last evening it was STEPS Trustees’ Meeting- STEPS is a conductive education centre for children with cerebral palsy and Down syndrome. STEPS will receive 70% of the proceeds of M.I.M. and as such, it is a very significant event for the charity. This week we have welcomed our wonderful new General Manager to STEPS. This is what we have been working towards for the last three years. Someone, full time, to be ‘head mistress’ to run the school and take it forward to new heights. Up to now we have run the STEPS Centre with the teaching staff, volunteers and Trustees with the lion’s share being done by the charity’s founder and President, Dr Heather Crate. When Heather’s grandson, Shaun, was born with severe Cerebral Palsy 19 years ago, I am sure Heather would never have guessed what challenges lay ahead and that so much would be achieved as a result of her outstanding dedication and determination. Last night was a proud evening.

So, today, at the end of this peculiar week, life will continue to be hectic and I will look forward to the weekend and being able to do some exercise to re-energise myself. I have sat down too much this week and my stress levels have suffered because of my inactivity. As soon as I start getting more active, my body and my brain will benefit hugely. Where’s Waise (our dog)? Let’s go for a walk!

I can’t believe it!

It is very rare that I get really cross. Yesterday I did get really cross!

Mike and I are organising a charity event two-weeks-on-Saturday, (29th) to raise funds for children with cerebral palsy (STEPS), a rugby player who had his neck broken (Matt Hampson) and our local village hall and church. In the last two years that we have hosted this event in our field and over £50,000 has been raised for these charities. The event is called Music in the Meadow and all the costs are covered by ourselves and our very generous sponsors. Every penny and pound raised goes to the charities. It is a brilliant event and the folk who attend love it – and so do we. It truly is a fun evening out for everyone.

Obviously the event needs to be publicised. We have a website www.musicinthemeadow.co.uk , we produce leaflets and posters and some large roadside posters to publicise the event. Ah! That’s the problem - roadside posters.

Now, we’re not stupid. We’re not going to place the posters in dangerous places to obscure vision of traffic or in fact anywhere that would cause a public nuisance. The day after the event all posters are taken down as we are responsible organisers. This event is not for commercial or personal gain. IT IS ALL FOR CHARITY!

Having obtained all the necessary licenses to run the event, get insurance, and so on, we thought we would inform the local county council of our desire to publicise the event and our wish to place some large roadside posters, just for two weeks, in safe but strategic positions. Last year we hadn’t realised that we had to do that and our beautiful, expensive-but-kindly-donated posters were whipped away, destroyed and discarded two days after they had been put up! After a pleasant and peaceful discussion it was agreed that they would allow us to replace some of them (kindly re-produced by our very generous printer) and there they stayed until the day of the event and then dismounted.

So, yesterday I popped in to the appropriate office to discuss our proposal. Unfortunately, my meeting was with someone who had a degree in Highways Management but who had presumably failed his ‘O’ level in Common Sense and Community Relations! I was informed that whilst we could place some signage in our immediate village location, beyond the Parish of Ashby Folville was not permitted. It was considered to be ‘advertising’. Our village has 80 inhabitants. It isn’t even included on the signpost on the main road a mile away! We have a pub, a cricket field and a church and that’s it! We have virtually no passing traffic.

I have a variety of character traits, (good and bad!), and one of them is persistence. I pleaded for a sign to be placed at the side of a roundabout in a particularly strategic position, where all traffic slowed down and it would not cause a hazard. I was told it could be a distraction to motorists so could be classed as dangerous. I persisted ‘but what about the signage on the roundabout itself, displaying the sponsorship of the roundabout, which the council had sold for financial reward?’ My man didn’t approve of that either! It wasn’t his decision. I was told I could put in an application in writing to the manager detailing my wish-list for consideration, but he was currently on holiday and didn’t return until five days before the event. My man was not for turning and I was getting nowhere!

I left having shaken hands with my Graduate in Highways Management and sat in my car in disbelief. I am so not used to dealing with people who just cannot make common sense judgements. I drove back to our office and looked at all of our employees with a sense of pride, believing that any one of them would be able to make a sensible, responsible decision if called to do so, that would be appropriate.

By this time the big posters were coming off the production line at the printers and I had visions of them only making a wonderful display in our village. For my own sanity I had to call the Highways Dept. again. Thankfully, another, more helpful guy at the council spoke to me and agreed that the posters could be displayed in the two neighbouring villages as well as our own and that another manager would be returning from holiday next Monday – a week earlier than the other guy. Progress! So, it’s fingers crossed for a positive response and let’s hope we get more than a handful of folks coming to our event!

Music in the Meadow 2009

On Saturday, 29th August, the Bank holiday weekend, we will be hosting Music in the Meadow close to our home in Ashby Folville, near Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire. Whilst Music in the Meadow is now in its fifth year, this is the third time we have hosted it ourselves.

It is a fantastically fun evening in the glorious setting of Ashby Folville, one of the prettiest villages in the midlands, and all the monies raised from the event go straight to the benefitting charities. No expenses are deducted because our kind sponsors pay for everything. Last year we raised £26,500 for charity.

We are raising funds for STEPS Conductive Education Centre for children with Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome and other motor dysfunctions, (70% share), The Matt Hampson Trust – Matt was a Prop Forward for Leicester Tigers and suffered a serious neck injury whilst training for the England Under 21s in 2005, (20%), and Ashby Folville Village Hall and Church funds (10%).

A variety of music will be played throughout the evening including the Beatles tribute band – The upBeatles, and Midlands-based Soul and R&B dance band Hopwood Junction plus support acts. There will be a Mega Raffle which includes five holidays for two to be won, a Tombola to beat all tombolas as one in five tickets wins and the prizes are superb. You can pre-order jugs of Pimms or buy it (and wine) on the night.

It really is a great event for all the family, so if you live within a 50 mile radius of Ashby Folville maybe you’d like to come along, bring a picnic (no naked flames and no glasses please) and have a great time supporting very worthwhile charities. The gates open at 5pm with the music starting at 6pm. The event closes at midnight. Tickets cost £20 for adults and £5 for children under 16. Car parking is free. If you are thinking of coming, check out the Music in the Meadow website: www.musicinthemeadow.co.uk or maybe you’d like to purchase some tickets for the Mega Raffle. The prizes are all listed on the website and tickets can be order by post or by calling out event organiser Gaynor Cawood at our offices on 01509 622022.