Sixpenny Handley held it's first Big Session in July.

Naomi Booth :: Tuesday 4th August 2015 :: Latest Blog Posts


It was great to be part of The Big Session - The Sixpenny Sessions team is thrilled with the response which surpassed our expectations on every level.

Lupinis on stage with banners from Auraprint

There was a lot of preparation, my job mainly consisted coming up with the logo and poster to fit the new summer festival. Then there were signs and banners. Thankfully we had our Sixpenny Sessions banners from Auraprint which we could Big up by adding the poster but we felt although they would dress the stage well on the day (above)  we also needed to get out to more festival goers so we used Auraprint again to print some unusual 1m square banners to catch the passers by eye...

1m square banners from AuraprintThe banners worked! Throughout the day people of all ages flocked to the village to enjoy live music from a broad selection of local musicians, plus children's workshops and delicious food all in the glorious setting of the village's cricket pitch. The sun shone and the Sixpenny Brewery ale flowed and all in all everyone agreed that it was a perfect little summer festival with a wonderful atmosphere. The line-up of music included Sixpenny Sessions favourites Big Joe Bone, TheLongTale, Mother Ukers, The Lupinis, Tom Clements, Break Cover, The Collaborators and headline act, The Hightown Crows. Plus there was a sneak preview of Larmer Tree Festival 2015 Breakthrough Music Award Act - The Villanovas.

Music workshops for children were held in the village hall and the hugely popular "Baby Rave" for toddlers went down a storm with the under 3's. Outdoor activities included woodland crafts and a "make a musical instrument" session, the products of which were later on display when some of the children were invited to "accompany" the fabulous Mother Ukers on stage with their newly produced ukuleles – a heartwarming spectacle.

Currently the total proceeds from the day stand at a staggering £4376.68, the Scouts have already purchased the defibrillator for the village and a healthy £3446.68 has gone into the Sixpenny Handley with Pentridge Community Fund. Well done everyone!! The Community fund offers small financial donations for local groups, organisations & small scale projects. If you would like to be put forward for consideration for Community Fund support please apply at: sixpennyhandley@dorset-aptc.gov.uk or Parish Office 01725 552211