Music festival founder steps down

The founder and director of the Reepham Music Festival has decided to retire from the organising committee of the annual summer event.
 

Reepham Music Festival director Steve Jenkins. Photo: submitted

 
Steve Jenkins came up with the idea in 2007 when a conversation with a few friends in a pub ignited plans for a festival, with any profits being re-invested or donated to charities and good causes.
 
The local motorcycle club quickly came on board and the festival has grown to become one of the leading music events in the region. (The Raptors retired after 10 years of long hours and hard work and now attend as honoured guests.)
 
From the start the festival was founded on the principles of being a community event that is open and affordable to all, and to promote all music genres and tastes.
 
Mr Jenkins, who works in marketing and design as principal of SJD, said he was fortunate to have a wide range of friends and contacts on hand to help build and promote the event.
 
“I also feel it an honour to have met loads of great people in the music industry over the years and to have gained a wealth of experience on how to invite the right acts to play and put on a line-up that our fans will love.”
 
The festival attracts applications from more than 100 acts each year and boasts a line-up that includes acts that are well-known both nationally and internationally, as well as promoting young and local acts.
 
In recent years, headliners have included Bad Manners, Big Country, Dr Feelgood, Roachford, The Beat, The Selector and Toploader.
 
“I shall miss the joy of looking over the festival field at the sea of excited faces, but I definitely will not miss the 400-plus hours spent organising the event every year,” said Mr Jenkins, who will remain as an unofficial advisor to the current organising team comprising Tom Crisp, Mark Frary, Simon Beer and Ben Pitcher.
 
Owing to coronavirus restrictions, last year’s Reepham Music Festival was cancelled with an online event held in its place.
 
With the current pandemic situation still uncertain, the organisers have yet to make a final decision about whether the festival will take place on the weekend of 7-8 August.
 

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