Stainsby Festival volunteers are honoured with The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service

Stainsby Folk Group has been awarded The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, equivalent to an MBE.

The volunteers are the mainstay of Stainsby Festival, which has run for 52 years.

Tony Trafford, chair of trustees for the charity, said: “I’ve no doubt our volunteers will be utterly delighted. It’s absolutely fantastic that the hard work and commitment of all our dedicated volunteers has been recognised in this way; from stewards to back stage staff, from toilet cleaners to the-year-round trustees who have all sustained this event over the last 50 years. Every single volunteer is essential to making this a truly community event.

“This will be a great year for the charity to receive this award since we have also now raised enough money through a public campaign – The Dream of Fields Appeal - to buy the fields where the festival is held, which will secure its future for many more years to come.”

The folk group has 350 regular volunteers, with many grandchildren of the original volunteers now giving their services to the festival for free.

Some volunteers have gone on to careers in business after learning skills at the festival - electricians, plumbers, and printers to name a few, and some have even gone on to study event management.

Stainsby Folk Group is one of 244 local charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to receive the prestigious award this year.

Representatives of Stainsby Folk Group will receive the award crystal and certificate from Elizabeth Fothergill, Lord-Lieutenant of Derbyshire, later this summer. In addition, two volunteers will attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in May 2023 where they will meet other recipients of this year’s award.

Stainsby Festival started in 1969, the year before Glastonbury, and had an unbroken run up until the last two Covid-blighted years.

The popular summer event has hosted musicians who have gone on to become big names. Barbara Dixon, Steeleye Span, Fairport Convention, Carthy & Swarbrick all passed through its tent flaps early in their careers.

Stainsby has also run music workshops with local schools whose pupils have then performed at the festival.

This year’s festival will be held from July 15-17. For further details, go to www.stainsbyfestival.org.uk/