East Preston’s biggest festival yet opens tonight

For the first time in its 31-year history, the festival will stretch across 10 days, with a record-breaking 100-plus events for the whole community to enjoy, and for the visitors who flock to the village at this special time.

Fittingly, in Olympic year, sport will be at the heart of the opening event, with six sports clubs from the village competing in A Question of Sport Evening tomorrow night at East Preston Football Club.

The event is one of four goals new festival chairman Paul Amoo set for himself and his committee when he took over the reins in October, and he is pleased to have achieved each one of them.

His other aims were to use all the village’s open spaces during festival week, to stage an Olympic torch run and to make the festival even more inclusive, covering not only the whole age spectrum, but reaching out to every part of the village.

“It’s been a great deal of hard work. I work in London, so much of the organising has had to be done when I have arrived home in the late evening and into the early hours, sending e-mails, dealing with the correspondence and ringing people.

“But it’s definitely been worthwhile and I have been very encouraged by the support I have had from the whole community.”

He thanked the festival committee and others who have helped in the run-up to this year’s event, and particularly festival president Doug Medhurst and Chris Roberts, who will again be in charge of seeing that Saturday week’s carnival procession runs smoothly. Paul’s original plan was to have a torch run taking in every street in East Preston, but that proved to be too difficult to achieve, so instead there will be an Olympic torch and a diamond jubilee baton which will be carried by villagers along the route of the carnival procession before the main parade sets off on Saturday, June 9.

The wooden baton was made by John Cozier and the torch by Steve Hodgson, who both live in the village. Arun District Council has sponsored specially embroidered polo shirts for the runners to wear.

Paul said he had been “particularly pleased” with the response from villagers for the festival in this special year.

“When I have made the call for help, people have answered. I am pleased with the number of residents who have volunteered to help at various events during the festival, as “Friends of East Preston Festival.

“There is plenty for people to look forward to over the next 10 days. If the sun shines, it’s going to be a real celebration.”

He also thanked new sponsors this year, including Arun, Coastal Music, Streets Ahead, Sussex Cars and SMH Services, and everyone who supported the film nights which have contributed valuable funds towards the costs of the festival.