School’s first festival raises £4,500 with support from whole community

MORE than 350 people attended a new festival held at Nettlebed Community School.

Nettlefest took place in the walled garden of the school and aimed to bring together former pupils, parents and locals for a day of fun and entertainment.

It was organised by Laura Oxley, from Peppard, who is vice-chair of Friends of Nettlebed School. The event had a live stage with performances by Headrush, 80’s Mix Tape, Frannie B, Darren Hiller and Trey and Geoff.

There was also a bubble fairy, flower craft crowns, glitter and face painting, a tombola, lucky dip, barbecue and bar.

One of the highlights was The Voice: Nettlebed Edition, where the school’s houses, Apollo, Poseidon, Demeter, and Hestia, competed in a singing competition for 50 house points. Hestia won with their rendition of Firework by Katy Perry.

There was also a performance by the Dads of Nettlebed School, a band comprising four dads and one mum with children at the school. They were Phil Barry on vocals and keyboards, Matt Byrne on bass guitar, Jamie Maule Finch and Harriet Sutton.

Mr Barry, 42, from Nuffield, has two children in the school, Isobel, nine, and Martha, six. He said: “We are performing songs by Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift and Abba. We have been practising in a studio in Reading for the last couple of months and some of us have done some serious music a long time ago.

“You cannot really go wrong with people from the school as long as it is not embarrassing for the kids.”

The festival also featured a doughnut wall painted by the pupils, including Henry Laughton, seven. He said: “I painted it with all of my friends. I really enjoyed it.”

Mrs Oxley who has two children at the school, Myla, seven, and Georgia, five, said: “Nettlefest took months of planning. We were blown away by the popularity of the event and the support from not just our lovely school community but the wider community as well. Nettlebed Community School is a special place and this was testament to that.

“The feedback has been fantastic and early estimates show that the event a made a profit of about £4,500.

“We are so grateful to everyone who came and, of course, our wonderful acts and volunteers. We can’t wait to rock out with everyone again in future.”

The proceeds will go towards the cost of music lessons.