Well what a 24 hours it has been as devastating floods hit the Dales causing destruction in the Reeth and Leyburn areas. 50mm of rain came down in just one hour and what chaos it caused including the cancellation of the Ard Rock Enduro Festival that was due to take place around Reeth. The event brings over 5000 people to the area over the two days and will undoubtedly be a blow to the local tourism trade.
However, down here in Richmond the show must go on! Richmond Live Volunteers are working harder than ever to make sure the 2-day festival goes ahead. At the time of all the flooding, Allan and Phil were rehearsing for their performance with The Messengers (below) on Saturday afternoon but quickly headed down to the site where the volunteers were rescuing tents and equipment from the river as it made its way onto The Batts.
The festival is a huge passion project for everyone involved, so of course a little rain isn’t going to stop the team from putting on a fabulous show for the residents of Richmond and surrounding areas. The team returned at 7am this morning to begin rebuilding the site as the river is safely back where it should be. The weather forecast from Thursday onwards looks good-you might just need your wellies, but spirits will remain high no matter the weather!
This years line-up is set to make for an incredible weekend of live music with Oh My God It’s The Church headlining Friday night and chart-toppers Lightening Seeds taking to the stage on Saturday alongside a huge selection of talented artists from both the local area and further afield. The Purple team will be heading down en masse to see Phil and Allan perform as well as supporting the other acts and volunteer team too.
Please show your support for our local festival and the incredibly hardworking, dedicated team of volunteers-they give up their time and energy for everyone to have a weekend of fun. Grab yourself a ticket just here-your support means even more this year!