The Bedford Park Festival - June 13th-28th 2009
How to help and take part
The Bedford Park Festival is Chiswick's biggest community event and one of the highlights of the local year. This year's Festival will run from June 13th and 14th (Green Days weekend, opposite Turnham Green tube station, including the Children's Fancy Dress Parade and Bedford Park's Got Talent contest - see right) until Sunday June 28th, when the Festival has its grand finale, including the Festival Mass and lunch, the tour of Bedford Park Open Gardens, the Photographic Competition prizegiving and a concert at Rosalind Leney's studio.
Please make sure the dates are in your diary. Why not block out the whole fortnight from June 13th to 28th? It’s only once a year – and it’s the biggest arts and community event in the area.
If you'd like to help in any way, please contact: The Festival co-ordinator, Torin Douglas, at torindouglas@aol.com, or the Festival events director Michael Robinson at roddis@dircon.co.uk, or the Parish Office at 020 8994 1380, or any of those listed below about specific events.
Scroll down to find out how: you can get involved both now, and nearer the time; or to see pictures and reviews of last year's Festival; Or click here for: Commercial opportunities at this year's Bedford Park Festival - June 13th-28th 2009
How would you like to help?
Many of you already know how you'll be helping - thanks for that commitment. But we'd really welcome new helpers. There are opportunities to help on Green Days and during the rest of the Festival - for a couple of hours or a couple of weeks! Some activities won't begin until a few days before the Festival. But you can get involved from now on.
1. Perform, create and take part:
- Singers wanted for the Festival Mass, Haydn's Harmoniemesse (rehearsals on Tuesdays 9-10pm, starting April 27th) All welcome.
Contact: Jonathan Dods: jondods@yahoo.com.
- Photographers for the Photographic Exhibition. Entry forms from Lad's newsagents on Bedford Corner, or the Parish Office, or Snappy Snaps on Chiswick High Road. Entries close at 4pm on Saturday June 20th. Exhibition runs from June 26th-28th.
Contact: Tony Simkin: tony@rivermore.com.
- Various talents for the under-17s ‘Bedford Park’s Got Talent’ contest - from 2pm on Sunday June 14th. Application forms in Church or from Parish Office. Entries must be submitted in advance, by Noon on Saturday June 13th.
- Children's Fancy Dress Parade, 11am on Saturday June 13th. This year's theme: Wild West Four! Meet in St Michael's Parish Hall at 10.30am. A prize for every entrant!
- Junior 5-a-side football. Under-8s and Under-11s, Saturday June 13th; Under-14's on Sunday 14th. Pick up a form in St Michael's Church or Parish Office>
Applications to Andrew Mitchell: amitchell_74@hotmail.com.
- Gardens wanted for the Bedford Park Open Gardens on Sunday 28th.
Contact: Sue Porter: porterfamilygb@aol.com
2. Help run events and stalls:
- Green Days: Contact the following to offer help with:
Craft Fair - Sara White: thewhites@btclick.com
music performances - Chris Church: chris@chrischurch.co.uk
refreshments - Sue Jordan: jordsusan@googlemail.com
the beer tent - Mike Landon: MichaelSLandon@aol.com
the barbecue - Sophie Marrison: sophiemarrison@mac.com
book stall - Helen Wareham: warehamw4@hotmail.com
international food - Kate Timmons: katy_timmons@hotmail.com
plants - Carol Douglas: caroldouglas111@aol.com
children's corner - Nicola Chater: nicola@global-marketing-solutions.com
5-a-side football - Andrew Mitchell: amitchell_74@hotmail.com
skittles - Chris Bradley: c.bradley@stroudandco.com
champagne lottery - John Little: jwlittle101@googlemail.com
recycling - Wendy Callister: wendy.callister@blueyonder.co.uk
heavy gang - Dean White: Dean.White@marsh.com
- Concerts and events: backstage and technical teams, to help with sound and lighting, film projection, moving pews and chairs, assembling the stage. The Junior Choir musical needs help with make-up, costumes, props, set design and production. Contact Michael Robinson: roddis@dircon.co.uk
- Catering: cooking, preparing canapes, serving drinks/teas.
Contact Jane Trigle: jane.lenton@virgin.net
- Front of house: selling tickets, ushering, bar staff.
Contact Sue Jordan: jordsusan@googlemail.com
- Publicity: writing releases, preparing and designing leaflets and posters, putting up posters and banners, contacting the media, updating the website.
Contact Torin Douglas: torindouglas@aol.com
- Admin tasks: various roles, some needing computer skills. torindouglas@aol.com
3. Gifts and goods wanted:
- Children's Clothes Stall: Clothes, fancy dress outfits and excellent-condition shoes wanted, for children from birth to 14-ish. Please arrange with the Parish Office (8994 1380) to leave them in the vestry on a Tuesday, for collection.
Contact Vicky Brooke: fbl.property@tesco.net
- High Roller Tombola: new items for prizes, including unwanted new gifts: Bottles of wine and spirits; Bottles of olive oil and packaged, non-perishable foodstuff; Smart toiletries - soaps, perfume, candles; Wallets, purses, photo frames, scarves; New toys, books, CDs and DVD's; Tickets for theatres, concerts and sports events; Weekends at hotels or sport clubs.
Contact Sally Haigh: sallyahaigh@yahoo.co.uk
- Win a Meal: Now - help wanted to sign up restaurants to donate a free meal for two. On Green Days - help on the stall in two-hour slots.
Contact Kevin Wilson: Kevin.Wilson@misys.com
- Books: Second-hand books please.
Contact Helen Wareham: warehamw4@hotmail.com
- Records for the
- Bric-a-Brac: As well as bric-a-brac, hand-knitted items, handmade gifts or cards would be welcome. Any offers of help to set up and man the stall during the weekend would be greatly appreciated.
Contact Julie Duckworth: julieslyong@hotmail.com, to drop off goods any time at her house.
4. Plant and bake:
- Cake stall. Nearer the day, please bake cakes. And if you have access to freezer space where we can store cakes in the weeks beforehand, let us know.
Contact Anne Mower: zen48015@zen.co.uk
- Plant stall. Now, please start growing plants to sell on the stall.
Contact Carol Douglas: caroldouglas111@aol.com
5. Sponsorship and donations:
We get great support from local business - more than 130 firms helped us last year. Their names are listed, with links, on the Supporters page on our website. You can see the opportunities here. If you have contacts, or would like to help us liaise with businesses, please contact torindouglas@aol.com .
What’s happening this year?
There’ll be the usual mix of one-off concerts, dramas and talks and all the favourites - the Bedford Park Summer Exhibition, children's musical (this year: Annie Get Your Gun), poetry evening, Bedford Park Open Gardens, Bedford Park Walk, photographic exhibition, Festival Mass and Lunch, and Rosalind Leney’s concerts. The programme will be published in May.
Our two-day Green Days fete, opposite St Michaels, will have stalls, fairground attractions, live music, craft fair, children's fancy dress competition and talent contest, with plenty of food and drink at the beer and refreshments tents and the barbecue. You can see more here: http://www.smaaa.org.uk/festival/index.html
Our pioneering Keep Green Days Green campaign ensures all waste is recycled and there'll be other environmental activities - so if you're actively green and would like to help with that, please contact Wendy Callister: wendy.callister@blueyonder.co.uk .