Horam & Vines Cross

MUSICAL FIREWORKS: Well, that was a bit of a night to remember, wasn't it? Last Saturday afternoon and evening was the place to be for Isfest, the now annual musical festival organised by Isfield and Little Horsted Bonfire Society to help raise funds for its annual Guy Fawkes celebrations. And, without a doubt, it was their most successful so far. Chief organiser Kate Burgess says: '˜Oh what a night. Late September in 2016. What an Isfest, what a night. Thank you, thank you to everyone who helped make it such a huge success, whether you were involved in the organisation, volunteered in the rotas, or just bought a ticket and came along. It was a major team effort and resulted in the best event we've ever staged. In terms of numbers through the gate, we had 324 adults and 107 children there. That 431 considerably tops the 375 total of last year. We haven't finished doing all the sums so can't tell you what the profit is yet, but suffice to say it's certainly paid for this years' fireworks. So congratulations to everyone.' Kate has been anxious to make clear that the event was very much a team effort. Society chairman Andy Brooks adds: '˜We were absolutely delighted with the turnout and that we delivered a trouble-free event, once again putting our little village on the map and punching above our weight when it comes to community events. We were delighted to have local star Saffron from the band Republica headlining our event, fantastically supported by other acts including country singer Kathryn Anderson, indie singer Michael Baker, rock band Dethonator and feel good party/ska band Fat Belly Jones. Although, unlike some other Bonfire Societies, we are not unduly concerned about funds for the future, this certainly secures our Bonfire nights both for this year and for 2017. We'd love to see readers at Isfield Bonfire on the evening of Friday October 28 where they will be able to witness directly what we do with the funds raised.'