A successful 2016 summer fair, Community Action: Whitley & Shaw (CAWS) in conjunction with Shaw Village Hall committee, held a successful free family picnic & live music event for hundreds of people on Saturday 8th July at Shaw playing field.
Following six months of planning and billed as ‘Picnic & Music @ The Beeches’, the event included nearly six hours of live music from local amateur musicians and bands including teen trio – Falling Fish, Melksham Oak students – Melissa Gould and Tom Coller-Jones – as well as professional bands Blue Rose and headline act, Swindon-based The Saga Louts.
The day was launched at 3.30pm by the chair of CAWS, Michelle Tattersall, and the chair of Shaw Village Hall, Clive Briggs, from the truck trailer stage supplied by Broughton Gifford Transport.
The artistes entertained several hundred people during the course of the day, playing original and cover versions of music from the 50s to present day. Power for the stage was kindly provided by Wiltshire Electrics, whilst local music promotor, Mel Austin, supplied and managed the PA equipment.
In a separate marquee, Melksham Rock & Roll Club gave jive dancing demonstrations and lessons on a solid wooden portable dancefloor in between the main stage acts.
As well as the live music, there was a licensed bar run by the White Hart in Atworth and hot barbecue food cooked by volunteers from Broughton Gifford Scouts. Elsewhere on the field there were free family games and activities, a face painter and the all-important ice cream van as the sun shone on a successful day. An army of local volunteers ensured the day ran smoothly including car parking marshalling and litter picking duties.
Jointly funded by CAWS and Shaw Village Hall, the event organisers were pleased to break even on the costs of staging the event with a small surplus going towards ongoing fundraising to provide additional recreational facilities at Shaw playing field.
CAWS are already thinking about more events for the communities of Shaw & Whitley and welcome volunteer help from residents and local businesses. The committee can be contacted by emailing: shaw_and_whitley@aol.co.uk or calling CAWS secretary Mike Booth on 01225 703316.
