Truck Festival raises £120,000 for local charities

A music festival has announced its most recent event raised more than £120,000 for local charities.

Truck Festival's 25th anniversary event attracted 25,000 revellers to Hill Farm in Steventon, Oxfordshire, in July.

Organisers previously described the festival's comeback after being cancelled for two consecutive years because of Covid as "truly emotional".

The money was raised through food sales and fundraising on-site over the weekend.

Sam Fender, Kasabian, Bombay Bicycle Club, The Kooks, Sigrid, Kelis, Blossoms, and Eurovision hero Sam Ryder all performed.

More than £100,000 was raised through the festival's Feel Good Food Tent. The funds will be divided between 10 local charities.

Another £20,000 was raised at the event for the Truck Trust, which will be divided among 26 Oxfordshire charities.

Be Free Young Carers, Oxfordshire Wildlife Rescue, Orchard Counselling, Arts at the Old Fire Station, Maggie's Oxford, Abingdon Music Centre Trust, My Life My Choice, and local girls football teams were among those benefitting from the funds.

The trust was launched in 2022 to increase the festival's annual fundraising and charitable donations and allow applications for funding.

The festival also donated more than £60,000 worth of tickets to the Tickets For Good scheme for NHS workers.

Local school St Michaels C of E Primary School raised £500 from portraits of the 2022 line up, which were printed onto tea towels and sold at the event.

Meanwhile the Young Women's Music Project designed the Truck charity T-shirt, raising £2,500.

The first Truck Festival was conceived by brothers Robin and Joe Bennett.

It took place in 1998, when an actual truck was used for the stage.

Organisers said the line-up for the 2023 event would be announced "in due course".

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