A music festival hit the right note with fans to raise funds to the tune of £20,384 for St Richard’s Hospice.
More than 400 music lovers attended the fifth annual Woo Fest, held over July 5 and 6 at The Drum and Monkey pub in Upton upon Severn.
A packed line-up of bands from across the area performed over the weekend, including a group created at the last minute to replace an act whose transport broke down on the way to the event.
The festival was set up by Luke and Ria Simons in memory of their father, John Simons, who was cared for by the hospice before he died in 2013.
However, the festival now includes many people who have been touched by the care the hospice provides.
Luke Simons, festival organiser, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have raised more than £20,000 for St Richard’s Hospice. We never dreamt of hitting that figure – it’s just mind-blowing.
“We have too many people to thank: sponsors, the musicians, sound engineers and our incredible army of volunteers. Thanks to them, every single penny from each ticket sold goes to the hospice – which is just brilliant.
“We are pleased to support the hospice which provides such an invaluable service to our community.”
Since its inception in 2014, Woo Fest has raised more than £57,000 for the Worcester-based hospice – helping to fund its care to patients with serious, progressive illnesses and their loved ones.
Claire James, fundraiser at St Richard’s Hospice, said: “We are in awe of the fantastic work of the Woo Fest team – they have truly outdone themselves in raising such an incredible amount for our care.
“We are so grateful for the festival team’s continued dedication and support of our free, hospice care. From all of us here at St Richard’s, we would like to say a huge thank you to everyone involved in this event.”
The dates have been set for next year’s festival, to run from July 3 to 4 and tickets will be on sale soon.
In the meantime, a Christmas event will be held on Sunday, December 22 at the Marrs Bar, Worcester. ‘A Christmas Woo’ will be a festive party featuring a line-up of bands. Tickets will be on sale soon.
To find out more about Woo Fest visit www.woo-fest.com