WHEN The Station pub in Guiseley announced that they were no longer able to run the popular music festival that they have run for 11 years Guiseley Community Foundation stepped in and have moved the event to Guiseley Cricket Club.

The event, on Bank Holiday Sunday, May 26th, will take place on the cricket pitch at Nethermoor Park running under the name of Nether Fest.

Co-Promoter Rachel O’Connor, one of the Community Foundation Trustees, said: “When The Station said they were no longer able to run it I thought that it was a shame for the local music loving fraternity and saw it as an opportunity to raise funds for the Community Foundation, which runs many varied projects in the local community.

“We ran the recent Beer Festival at Coopers Bar, which Guiseley Lions were no longer able to run, and were able to donate £1,200 each to to local charities AVSED, Memory Lane Centre for dementia sufferers in Yeadon and Aireborough Action for Children as well as Guiseley AFC Academy.

“We have linked up with Guiseley Cricket Club and jointly we will make donations from the event’s profits to local organisations as well as helping to further the work of both organisations within the local community.”

The event will be a family friendly event with a specialist Kids Zone with bouncy castles, face painting and arts and crafts activities led by Guiseley’s Codswallop.

There will be outside bars, barbecues - including a specialist American Diner Hot Dog stand from award winning Ilkley butchers Lishman’s.

Rainbow Gelato ice creams will be on offer as well as afternoon tea.

The festival will highlight the talents of highly successful local bands, many of whom started out in open mics in Guiseley.

Issimo, a big hit as a nine piece band at last year’s Station Festival, have spent some time playing in America and the Polynesian Islands over the past year.

Marc Otway and Abi Uttley, the band’s vocalists, came together after both starting out as solo performers and both reaching the finals of the Rock The House competition in consecutive years. Abi topped Marc’s runner-up performance in this national competition, organised by MPs to keep live music and venues going, by winning the final and playing at a special gig in the Houses of Parliament.

Elephant Trees are fronted by Guiseley singer/songwriter Martha Phillips who has twice played at The Royal Albert Hall, once solo and once with the band. They are very popular all across the North of England and they played at the Kendal Calling Festival last summer.

Another to have played at Kendal Calling last year is the fast rising band Citrus Heights who are fronted by Rawdon vocalist Jamie Kelly. Their songs have been played in the past few months for the fashion segment of TV show ‘This Morning’.

Ilkley’s Rupert Stroud is another talented singer/songwriter who has played some iconic venues including Leeds Millennium Square.

Guiseley brothers Andy and Joe Doonan have now come together as a duo to further their music careers. Both have featured as solo artistes and in separate bands before deciding to move forward as a duo. A few years ago Andy played at the O2 in London in the final of Live and Unsigned.

There will be American folk rock from The American Dream, some superb covers from Phased Rotation and fresh young talent from Leeds College of Music in Leodis, one of the projects of highly talented young musician George Hodgson.

The event runs from noon to 7pm and tickets are available from the bar at Guiseley Cricket Club or online at WWW.WEGOTTICKETS.COM/EVENT/470665.

Tickets are £10 each or £25 for a family ticket for two adults and two children U-14. Tickets are limited so get your tickets early. VIP and sponsorship packages with private facilities are also available by ringing 075 071 25141.