This will be the eighth year of the Waterlooville Music Festival. The aim of this week is to bring music into St. George’s Church and into the centre of Waterlooville, for the whole community to enjoy. This year is no exception. Together with Waterlooville Business Association’s Market Place Music on the first day of the Festival, you are invited to over 50 concerts, featuring soloists, choirs, instrumental groups and whole bands.  It’s really good that once again local schools are taking part in the Festival. Students are performing at lunchtimes and in the afternoons and classes are coming to the special school workshops featuring hand bell ringing and a morning devoted to recorder instruction. Among the eight days of music the Festival welcomes for the first time this year The Choir Company and Il Campane as well as welcoming back the Hampshire Police Band and Achoired Taste. On the first Saturday a choir comprising children from a number of local schools is performing - Voices United.  It’s particularly good to welcome the children back as the choir is sponsored by Waterlooville Music Festival as part of its aim to encourage music among young people. Two completely new events this year are Saturday’s Dragon Jazz Club with two jazz bands playing and Friday’s Folk and Ale evening featuring Threepenny Bit and Portsmouth Shanty Men.  On both evenings there’ll be a real ale bar supported by one of the local breweries, Bowman’s.

The Festival Organisers are greatly indebted to local businesses and councils for the continued support, without which Waterlooville Music Festival could not continue. Special appreciation is given to Allmobility of Waterlooville and Keys Newsagents of Highfield Parade. Both shops have again hosted the Festival Ticket Offices. Please support them both and the other sponsors whenever possible. As usual Havant Borough Council has been a great supporter of Waterlooville Music Festival and the organisers express their appreciation.

All the monies taken during the week go towards the cost of staging the Festival - both this year and next.  It’s always on the second full week of June and the 2014 programme is already being compiled - June 14th to 22nd.  If you would like to keep up to date with the various groups and individuals being booked, please click on

 www.waterloovillemusicfestival.org.uk

I hope you enjoy the week’s Festival and that you’ll come again next year!

Fr Mike Sheffield

Festival Edition 2013

From the Parish Priest