Posts Tagged ‘family’

CRAWLEY FOLK FESTIVAL 2010

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

On Sale Now!

Friday 26 – Sunday 27 June

After the massive success of last year’s Crawley Folk Festival, The Hawth is pleased to announce that 2010’s Festival is on sale now and bigger and better than ever!

The weekend includes music from 2010 BBC Folk Award winner Martin Simpson (best traditional track), the highly regarded acoustic blues guitarist Steven Finn and The Jemima Price Band . On Sunday we are delighted to be able to present the newly crowned Folk Singer of the year, John Boden with The Remnant Kings who will be headlining the main stage. Celebrated whistle and flute player Brian Finnegan and Geoff Achison & The Spikedrivers will be taking to the Amphitheatre.

BAD SHEPS black 4 grain

Of course there’s the usual range of goodies on offer too, including free workshops, craft stalls, demonstrations in Morris and traditional folk dance and the big news is the selection of beers available in the Real Ale Tent has DOUBLED this year!

All this plus free performances from Ian Briggs, Jess Morgan, The Flying Toads and more on the free Foyer and Beer Tent Stages across the weekend.

Don’t forget if you really want to get into the festival mood, we also have great on site camping facilities for just £10 and as always Under 12s Go Free so why not bring the family!

There is a fantastic special offer for all early bookers – book before 9 May 2010 you can SAVE £2.50 per ticket with our EARLY BIRD OFFER!

Jon Boden

There’s also lots to look forward to on the Friday night too. Audiences can choose from Blues in the Amphitheatre with Rag Mama Rag, Ian Briggs & The Supervampers and Nicky Moore’s Blues Corporation or you have another chance to catch Adrian Edmondson with his band The Bad Shepherds, following huge public demand after last year’s performance, they’ll be taking to the main stage to showcase punk songs with a folk twist once again.

Tickets for Blues Night: £12.50 (discounts: £10)

Special Offer: £7.50 for weekend ticket holders (if booked at the same time).

Tickets for The Bad Shepherds: £16.50 (discounts: £13.50)

Special Offer: £10 for weekend ticket holders (if booked at the same time).

You can purchase a ticket for one day or the whole weekend by calling the box office on 01293 553636 or book online at www.hawth.co.uk.

For more information on the festival line up, blogs and music tasters visit www.myspace.com/crawleyfolkfestival

DJ marathon raised the roof and plenty of cash

Monday, August 17th, 2009

Fuzzylicious Fresh looking great

Fuzzylicious Fresh looking great

On Saturday we joined The Connoisseurs at The White Knight in Pound Hill for their charity fundraiser day.  The sun shone, the music played, the food was eaten and the charity fund went up and up.

Getting the kids involved

The Beautiful Fuzzylicious Fresh

The Beautiful Fuzzilicious Fresh

We had the pleasure of speaking to the guys who put so much effort into making the day a great success and they told us they felt there were not enough opportunities for youngsters to participate in fundraising. In light of this, they put this day together in a way they felt would attract the younger side of the community. They certainly got it right! You can hear more from the guys in the interview at the bottom of the page.

Females get funky

It really was a wonderful day. From 14:00 onwards, each DJ took it in turns to play their selected preference of music, ranging from happy house to heavy drum and bass. First up we had the pleasure of the beautiful Fuzzilicious Fresh. A local female DJ, who told us that, to be any good, you must know your music and what your audience will want to hear. Fuzzilicious Fresh played some brilliant garage tunes for us.

Cherry… fly?

Next up, we were honoured with another female DJ who goes by the name of Cherry Fly. Cherry Fly wore an amazing black & purple outfit and blasted out some great house tunes. She told us she feels that a good education is a great asset to have, even when DJing: Cherry Fly went to college to advance her music knowledge along with her mixing skills and would encourage others to do the same.

The wonderful Cherry Fly

The wonderful Cherry Fly

Filling our tums

Meanwhile, the hot dogs and burgers were flying off the grill. Dave Winbolt was the ‘chef’ for the day, assisted intermittently by Scott ‘Ronson’ Clarke. Dave created some delectable food at a reasonable cost, with all proceeds going to the nominated charity of the day, St Catherine’s Hospice.

Dave Winbolt & Scott 'Ronson' Clarke

Dave Winbolt & Scott 'Ronson' Clarke

Baby steps to dance diva?

My burger was cooked to perfection: I thoroughly enjoyed it! Everyone seemed to be having a whale of a time; one particular lad stood on the steps ‘cutting’ some moves to the tunes, especially as he could only have been about eighteen months old!

Cut Swifty mixing it up

Cut Swifty mixing it up

Keefos on the decks

Keefos on the decks

Dan Gee bangin' out the beats

Dan Gee bangin' out the beats

Vibrant duo Del Santiago & Pierre Monnoit

Vibrant duo Del Santiago & Pierre Monnoit

Cut Swifty was the next DJ to entertain the ever growing crowd of supporters. Followed by Keefos, Dan Gee, Del Santiago & Pierre Monnoit (Multiplayerz), then last, but not least Marcus Lee, this was a night to remember.

The White Knight: Management

Marcus Lee making his mark

Marcus Lee making his mark

In amongst the revellers, running around keeping everyone happy and the place clean and tidy, were landlord and landlady of the White Knight, Bridgette and John. They have supported this event from the start and were honoured to have it held in the White Knight.

The White Knight public house is a splendid place to hold this type of event due to the space and atmosphere of the building. There are pool tables, darts and large flat screen TVs for the sports enthusiasts and a neat dance floor, with a stage for the DJs which also includes a convenient communal area around the dance floor which is great for private parties. We found the toilets were consistently clean and tidy and the service prompt and friendly. Bridgette and John told us all about their involvement-  they told us it was a brilliant way to raise money for such a worthy cause, and they look forward to hosting other similar events in the future. A highly recommended location, in our humble opinion. For more information on the White Knight and its management, please watch the interview below.

So.. how much £££ did they make?

Always service with a smile

Always service with a smile

The White Knight, Pound Hill, Crawley

The White Knight, Pound Hill, Crawley

As the day drew to an end, the donation buckets started to fill up with donations from those jingling any change in pockets.  We are pleased to announce the total amount raised for St Catherine’s Hospice came to a whopping £470! Dan told us that they hope this is the first of many fund raising events; we think they may be on to a winner and hope to be invited to the next one.  Well done!

P.S.  I believe Dan is already planning part two… watch this space….!

VIDEOS


Members of Oriel Youth Wing leading the way

Friday, July 24th, 2009
Kolbie Hayes & Stuart Bayliss presenting

Kolbie Hayes & Stuart Bayliss presenting

On Thursday 23rd July, Crawley Happy Times attended an awards ceremony at Oriel Youth Wing, with the expectation of a brief award-giving event, then home early for a cup of cocoa.  How wrong were we!?  On arrival, the youth wing was busting with excited children, proud parents and various youth workers.  We were greeted by Jo Bell and Michaela Homewood, both youth workers.  Jo and Michaela look after the youth wing and had obviously put a lot of effort and time into making the evening such a wonderful event.  With 388 members of the youth wing, they are always very busy.

As the evening began, two young presenters, Kolbi Hayes and Stuart Bayliss, came on to the stage to welcome us all to this evening and to introduce the presenters.  First up, we were treated to a fantastic slide show, put together by Callum Vitler (accompanied by music from Queen and Bob Sinclair), giving everyone in the room an insight into what the children had been up to during the year, with some wonderful clips of adventure holidays and day trips.  They had been to London, Thorpe Park, Lodge Hill and Southwater Country Park to

Councillor Henry Smith speaking to the audience

Councillor Henry Smith speaking to the audience

name but a few, involving themselves in activities like basketball, dancing, football, paintball, first aid training days and many other activities, providing discipline, exercise and by the looks of it, plenty of fun!  It really was a joy to watch the children of Oriel youth wing being so supportive, considerate and polite to one another.  And, of course, they were being educated in so many different ways.

Next we were introduced to Henry Smith, Councillor for Maidenbower, who told us his last visit to the youth wing was back in June 2006.  Henry congratulated the children and helpers on their achievements  and then went on to compliment everyone involved in keeping the youth wing’s operation so successful; wishing them continuous success for the future.  Henry awarded the Outstanding Contribution Award to Callum Vitler.  We recommend keeping an eye on this young man.  Something tells us he may be destined for great things!

Debbie Green then took the stage to present Darren Hollis with the Wishfish Inspirational Award.  Another name to keep an eye on!

Next we had what can only be described as a masterful rendition of Michael Jackson’s ‘Smooth Criminal’, performed by young Charlie Mott. Charlie must have put an awful lot of practice and effort into this performance.  We filmed it for you to enjoy too.  Well done, Charlie.

Steve Hemmings volunteers his time to help with the music side of the youth wing and we had the pleasure of some examples from his ‘pupils’ showing off what they had learned under Steve’s guidance.  In fact, the support from various adults/parents just clarifies: the more we help and support our children, the further they can go.

The words team work, respect, unity, helpfulness and many more great words came to mind throughout the evening.  Especially when older teenagers, Jessi Gasson and Karl McCaughan demonstrated what they had achieved with 5 younger members: in just 6 weeks they had become spectacular dancers.

The names of these dancers are: Charlotte Mortlock, Sophie Nulty, Blaize Szantos, Chloe Martin and Louise Brooks.  It was a brilliant demonstration of unity and teamwork and pretty good dancing!

It was a real feel good evening which we are extremely glad to have been part of.  The youth of

More certificates being presented

More certificates being presented

Crawley do not always get a good writeup, but let me reassure you, the young children we met on Thursday were articulate, polite, considerate, positive, educated and well-presented.

On the subject of support, Sergeant Ben Websdale and Police Community Support Officer Lucy Hailes proudly attended, admiring the achievements of the children and the efforts of others, even joining in the festivities at the after-party.

Crawley Happy Times would like to thank Jo and Michaela and all the supporters and children for a wonderful evening. Special thanks go to Margaret, Michaela’s Mum, for the delicious spread she put on which was enjoyed by all, including myself :-)

Members receive their First Aid certificates

Members receive their First Aid certificates

We look forward to reporting on the awards of 2010!

Full list of award winners: -

 

TROPHIES/CERTIFICATES/THANKS LIST
YOUNG PEOPLE

 
YOUTH FORUM
Matt Sykes – Certificate
Josh Park – Certificate
Kieran Slater – Certificate
Sam Allen – Certificate
Jack Arnell – Certificate
Ed Brooks – Certificate
James Thompson – Certificate
Callum Vitler – Certificate
Kolbi Hayes – Certificate

JUNIOR VOLUNTEERS
Stuart Bayliss – Thanks
Callum Vitler – Thanks
Kolbi Hayes – Thanks
Calum Macleod – Thanks
John Currie – Thanks
Darren Hollis – Thanks
Satheesan Nagendran – Thanks

MUSIC MENTORING
John Currie – Certificate
Darren Hollis – Certificate
Lauren Meineck – Certificate
Mathieu Clay – Certificate
Tyler Green – Certificate
Tyler Green – Certificate
Sam Trumpeter – Certificate
Faith Butler – Certificate
William Stothart-Mason – Certificate
James Thompson – Certificate
James Hawes – Certificate

PEER MENTORING
Satheesan Nagendran – Certificate
Laura Fagan – Certificate
Stuart Bayliss – Certificate
Chelsea Hardwell – Certificate
Avalon Harris-Trussell – Certificate
Charlotte Pattenden – Certificate
David Fox – Certificate
Calum Macleod – Certificate
Dan Kordowski – Certificate
Faith Butler – Certificate
James Coupar – Certificate
Lee Jeffery – Certificate
Samah Malik – Certificate
Noel Reynolds – Certificate
Liam Tankard – Certificate
Matthew Vincent – Certificate
Stephen Whittingham – Certificate
James Thompson – Certificate

DANCERS
Karl McCaughan – Voucher as thanks
Jessie Gasson – Voucher as thanks
Chloe Martin – Certificate
Sophie Nulty – Certificate
Blaize Szantos – Certificate
Louise Brooks – Certificate
Charlotte Mortlock – Certificate
Charlie Mott – Certificate

TROPHIES
Outstanding Contribution Award – Callum Vitler
Wishfish Inspirational Award – Darren Hollis

ASDAN
Darren Hollis – Certificate
Callum Vitler – Certificate
Darren Hollis – Certificate
Charlotte Pattenden – Certificate
Avalon Harris-Trussell – Certificate
Stuart Bayliss – Certificate
Calum Macleod – Certificate
Satheesan Nagendran – Certificate

FIRST AID
Misty Harris-Trussell – Certificate
Chelsea Hardwell – Certificate
Callum Vitler – Certificate
Avalon Harris-Trussell – Certificate
Charlotte Pattenden – Certificate

D OF E SERVICE AWARD
Lauren Meineck – Certificate
John Currie – Certificate

A demonstration on the drums

A demonstration on the drumsJo Bell speaks of her pride for the members and the youth wing

Stuart Bayliss playing Ludovico Einaudi's Nefeli

Stuart Bayliss playing Ludovico Einaudi's Nefeli

Sgt Ben Websdale trying to catch up with the talent in the room

Sgt Ben Websdale trying to catch up with the talent in the room

The Presenters Kolbie Hayes & Stuart Bayliss

The Presenters Kolbie Hayes & Stuart Bayliss

Family fun at Crawley Fire Station

Friday, July 17th, 2009

crawleyboroughcouncilsmallCrawley Fire Station will be opening its doors to the public this Saturday (July 18), giving West Sussex residents an insight into the activities of their local firefighters.

The event will be held at the Fire Station on Ifield Avenue from 11am to 4pm and will have lots for all the family to enjoy. Refreshments will be available, along with face painting and rides on vintage fire engines for the family. Admission is free.

It’s also an opportunity for members of the public to see first hand the range of activities involved with being a modern firefighter, with demonstrations of fire fighting and rescue skills throughout the day.

Crews will be on hand to talk about fire safety in the home, at work and out and about. They will also demonstrate how they would release a casualty from a road traffic collision. The chip pan demonstration vehicle will be used throughout the day to show the dangers of chip pan fires.

The Fire Investigation dog (Hattie) will also be there, along with Sussex Police’s investigation dog, representatives from South East Coast Ambulance Service and the Territorial Army.

The day will also provide the ideal occasion for the public to find out about West Sussex County Council Fire and Rescue Service’s free Home Fire Safety Check Service.