The organisers of this summer’s Buckfest Music Festival held a ‘thank you’ party at Buckden Village Club where they presented more than £4,000 to local causes – the most the festival has donated in any one year throughout its seven-year history.

The festival’s two nominated charities for 2016 were the Elouise Keeling Asthma Trust and Little Miracles which received donations of £1,000 each, and proceeds from the festival have paid for new flooring at Buckden Village Club. A donation of £350 was also made to Buckden and Southoe Explorers whose volunteers helped out on the day of the event.

The Elouise Keeling Asthma Trust, was set up by Elouise’s mother, Karen, in 2014, following her daughter’s death from a severe asthma attack, and she said: “We thoroughly enjoyed being involved with Buckfest 2016 - it is a great way to raise awareness, as well as raising money. The funds will be used to support our charity work, some money has already been committed to Hinchingbrooke Hospital’s paediatric outpatients department to provide inhaler technique equipment and play/sensory equipment.”

Over the past seven years, the festival has donated more than £1,2000 to local charities and more than £1,5000 to Buckden Village Club.

Organiser, Rick Holden, said: “I am extremely proud with what the festival has achieved for the local community, we continue to go from strength to strength as a result of the generosity of our sponsors, Friends of Buckfest and the hard work of our volunteers.”

Plans for Buckfest 2017 will get underway soon. Anyone interested in getting involved should e-mail (info@buckfest.org) or visit the website at: (www.buckfest.org).