The Piers Simon Appeal (PSA) has announced an impressive line-up of music and attractions for the seventh annual Home Farm Fest in June.
Festival goers can have a weekend of fun at the same time as raising vital funds to help this Somerset-based disaster relief and School in a Bag charity carry on with its life-changing work around the world. The three-day music extravaganza caters for all tastes, whether your flavour is melodic acoustic anthems, raw unplugged folk or face-melting classic rock.
Running from 8 – 10 June, the Festival takes place in the orchards of the PSA headquarters at Home Farm, Chilthorne Domer, Yeovil. The organisers have added a host of new attractions to this family, fun-filled rocking charity event.
Home Farm Fest is the perfect opener to kick-start your festival season, and with no Glastonbury this year, there is even more reason to get into the festival spirit and tag along to help them help others…
PSA Patron, and Glastonbury Festival organiser, Michael Eavis CBE said: “Home Farm Fest is a fantastic festival held at the family farm where Piers grew up. I know from personal experience how amazing it is to organise a weekend of music and fun and i love what this festival does especially, raising money to help with disaster relief and enabling kids in developing countries to go to school through School in a Bag.”
He adds: “I’ve watched Home Farm Fest grow over the last seven years and this year sees it go to two stages – who knows, in a few years time it could be giving me a run for my money!”
The new ‘Orchard Stage’ will operate in between band changeovers on the Dutch Barn Stage and boasting 14 performance slots, organisers hope it will see festival goers migrate between the two stages. To complement this, a series of market stalls will occupy the orchard space adjacent to the new avenue walkway allowing those in need of a break from the music. Enter the Bear Shack and you could come out with a completely new look thanks to its clothing swap shop and face painting and…if all the music, shopping and too-ing and fro-ing gets the better of you, you could even check in for a massage from Sorrel de la Hay 
Friday’s ‘Posh Frocks and Wellies’ night has a hint of folk, jazz and pop to it this year to enhance a party atmosphere.
Home Farm Fest co-organiser and Charity Liaison Officer Luke Simon said: “When you are dolled up in your best get-up you really want to have a good dance and there’s no better feeling than grooving in your wellies. We think the 11-piece band Ship of Fools will provide the perfect tonic for some outdoor stomping so it’s time to brush of those wellies and start planning your outfit!”
Saturday is bursting at the seams with a musical programme of 19 live bands across the two stages. The day starts with a trio of melodic acoustic bands from Sussex, progressing through to some fantastic pop and soul courtesy of 12-piece DT8 with the night headlined by the returning Exeter-based Thick as Thieves whose 2010 performance had the crowd in raptures.
Sunday’s 11am – 3.30pm programme boasts 7 live acts which includes Dub Liberators, BA22 (complete with PSA Chairman Henry Simon on guitar), Cryin Out Loud and finally, AWHB – the Agusta Westland House Band with Home Farm Fest initiator Dave Jacklin on the drums. There couldn’t be a better remedy to help you recover from the night before.
Wyld House Festival Catering will be on hand to serve up their mouth watering, prize winning gourmet food again and liquid refreshments will be available from the full bar run by the PSA’s in-house team so there’s no need to bring your own. And of course, the infamous tea tent will be serving delicious homemade cakes each day and well into the night complete with some of its own performances!
The Home Farm Fest Children’s Committee have been beavering away with preparations for a creative and craft-filled weekend each day starting at 11am in the old Tithe Barn – complete with the children’s cinema, rocket making, a children’s raffle, design the 2012 PSA Christmas card competition and much, much more. This year Yeovil-based Funzone will be at the Fest with an array of inflatables including a bucking bronco and a bungee run – kids, you might have to coax your parents off them!
There’s also the PSA shop filled with the latest hoody and T-shirt designs and once again, there will be an opportunity to fund and pack your very own SchoolBag destined for a poor, orphan, vulnerable or disaster-affected child somewhere in the world. Added to this, the daily Prize Draw will be operating in full force!
So, dust off your tent, get online at www.homefarmfest.co.uk and get yourselves a weekender ticket for the bargain price of £37.50. At under £1.21 for each live act, we think you’ll agree – it’s the best value festival ticket around. And whilst you are feeling warm that you have just had the deal of the summer, know that the cost of your ticket has funded another two and a half SchoolBags – SchoolBags that give hope to a Child’s Future and might, just might transform a child’s life.
For more information about Home Farm Fest visit: www.homefarmfest.co.uk
The detail:
Entry to the festival is by pre-paid WRISTBAND ONLY. To purchase these please visit: www.homefarmfest.co.uk. Wristbands will be posted out during the week of Tuesday 29th May.
£12.50 Friday night’s Posh Frocks and Wellies: 7.15pm – 11.00pm. 5 Live Bands
£22.50 Saturday – 12.30pm – 12.00am. 19 Live Bands
£12.50 Sunday – 11.00am – 3.30pm. 7 Live Bands
£37.50 Weekender – 31 Live Performers/Bands – that’s under £1.21 each!
Ages 14 yrs – 17 yrs: Tickets half price
Ages 0 yrs – 13 yrs: Free of Charge
Prices include administration and handling fees.
PLEASE NOTE: All tickets purchased after 4th June will incur a £5 surcharge per ticket. Please see www.homefarmfest.co.uk for more details.
Friday 8th June 2011: “Posh Frocks and Wellies”
| Dutch Barn Stage | Time | Orchard Stage | Time |
| 1 Carla Jacklin | 7.15pm – 8.00pm | 1 Thomas Rotheram | 8.00pm – 8.15pm |
| 2 Amie Pendarves Band | 8.15pm – 9.15pm | 2 Mike Shaw + Friends | 9.15pm – 9.30pm |
| Prize Draw – Hamper | 9.15pm – 9.30pm | ||
| 3 Ship of Fools | 9.30pm – 11.00pm |
Saturday 9th June 2011:
| Dutch Barn Stage | Time | Orchard Stage | Time |
| 1 Lesley Spiers | 12.30pm – 1.10pm | 1 Laz Clements | 1.10pm – 1.30pm |
| 2 Lee Martin | 1.30pm – 2.10pm | 2 Rob Crocker | 2.10pm – 2.30pm |
| 3 Redwood Falls | 2.30pm – 3.10pm | 3 Wendy J Bassett | 3.10pm – 3.30pm |
| 4 Hundred Days | 3.30pm – 4.10pm | 4 Ian Sedwell | 4.10pm – 4.30pm |
| 5 Mutter Slater Band | 4.30pm – 5.10pm | 5 Cabin Fever Crew | 5.10pm – 5.30pm |
| 6 Dinner Ladies | 5.30pm – 6.10pm | 6 Tom Rotherham | 6.10pm – 6.30pm |
| 7 Smoking Gun | 6.30pm – 7.10pm | 7 Stef Mizraney | 7.10pm – 7.40pm (30) |
| 8 DT8 | 7.40pm – 8.40pm | 8 Ange Hardy | 8.40pm – 9.10pm (30) |
| Raffle – Holiday / Thanks | 8.40pm – 9.10pm | ||
| 9 Jack Flash | 9.10pm – 10.10pm | 9 Bronco Hutchings | 10.10pm – 10.30pm |
| 10 Thick As Thieves | 10.30pm – 12.00am |
Sunday 10th June 2011:
| Dutch Barn Stage | Time | Orchard Stage | Time |
| 1 Beermoths | 11.00am – 11.40am | 1 Hollie M Trevis | 11.40am – 12.00pm |
| 2 BA22 | 12.00pm – 12.40pm | 2 Lee Rahn | 12.40pm – 1.00pm |
| 3 Cryin Out Loud | 1.00pm – 1.40pm | 3 Dub Liberators | 1.40pm – 2.00pm |
| Raffle – cash prize | 1.40pm – 1.50pm | ||
| 4 AWHB | 2.00pm – 3.30pm |
Additional Performances at the Tea Tent:
Perciphone Petticoat + Friends, Adrian Wood Poetry, Verity and Didge Irish Dance
