The Hosenbury Festival has been a July fixture for some years, bringing live music to the outdoor setting of Hose Village Hall’s grounds. The committee organising and running the festival has also held several evening indoor concerts in Hose Village Hall and St.Michael & All Angels Church under the guise of ‘Hosenbury Undercover’. These events have included tribute acts to Dolly Parton, the Jersey Boys, Take That, and in April, Amy Winehouse.

 

The overriding objective of Hosenbury is to produce surplus funds which can be recirculated back into the community in the form of grants or donations to local projects. Over £10,000 has been granted to such causes over the past 15 years.

 

The two festivals in 2023 and 2024 have proved to be difficult as fundraising ventures, with the time and effort invested by committee members and volunteers not being rewarded by commensurate fund surpluses. Unfortunately, outdoor festivals of this kind are expensive to run, and lower than expected ticket sales in the last two years have meant that we’ve struggled to cover these costs. We know that other small rural festivals in the area have experienced similar difficulties.

 

Reluctantly, therefore, the Hosenbury committee has decided against organising an outdoor festival this year. We will now hold an evening concert in Hose Village Hall on Saturday 5th July instead of the usual full-day festival.

 

We have booked Tom Weston, aka Young Elton, to headline our event on 5th July. Tom performed his Elton John tribute brilliantly in Hose Church in January 2024, and we will be welcoming him back, this time with his full band. We also plan a support act, with details to be announced when confirmed. Tickets for the gig will be available from Hose and Harby shops and Squirrel Stores in Long Clawson, and online at wegottickets.com. Watch out for the on-sale date. Early purchase is advised, as only 150 tickets can be sold.

 

In addition, we plan to replicate the success of our Hosenbury Undercover evening concerts as a more successful way of raising funds for community causes. Our forthcoming events are: Amy Winehouse tribute, Oktoberfest, Fu Fu Sailors, and a Robbie Williams tribute.

 

We hope that the reasoning behind this change will be understood. The objectives of the Hosenbury committee remain unchanged, but we need to adapt our strategy in order to achieve them.

 

 

Hosenbury Committee:

Teresa Stecko

Ella Coombes

Helen Johnson

Phil Cree