Events

Conker Festival 2011 Review

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Our 16th annual Conker Festival took place on Sunday 16th October on Blackbirds Moor. The day was dry and for the most part sunny, which ensured that the crowds flocked to the event. For the main marquee, we opted once again to go for the yellow and red striped circus big top, which was certainly hard to miss and just added to the fun of the event.

Places in the knockout conker tournament were quickly filled, and the competition got under way with speed and efficiency. Some very close and exciting matches ensued, all capably overseen by our fantastic team of volunteer judges. The winner of this year’s adult contest was Hannah McKenzie, beating Rock Hunter in the final. The junior competition resulted in a 3-way final, and Gabriel Davies eventually emerged triumphant, beating Kyra Richardson into second place and Jessica Tripp into third.

Those that were not competing had many other activities and interests to keep them entertained during the afternoon. We were once again delighted to have The Dacorum & Chiltern Potters Guild join us, who ran a fantastic pottery workshop. Children of all ages were encouraged to have a go at the potter’s wheel and a staggering £265 was raised for the Hospice of St Francis.

We were also pleased to welcome back the Berkhamsted Bowmen, who ran their popular archery ‘Have a Go’ sessions during the afternoon. Other attractions included a face painter, wood carving demonstrations by Vince King and live music from the Jolly Jazzers, who generously donated their time in support of the Hospice of St. Francis.

As always local charities, environmental and craft groups were well represented with a large variety of stalls. Mansbridge bakers were selling delicious cakes, pasties, teas and coffees .  All the entries in the Box Moor Trust annual Calendar Competition were on display and the Trust stall did a brisk trade selling copies of the 2012 calendar, which features all the winning photos.

The event was a great success once again and we have already set the date for next year, so we will hopefully see you at the same time and same place on Sunday 21st October 2012.

Pictured below is junior conker champion Gabriel Davies with Trust Vice-Chairman Dennis Furnell

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Horse Power in the Woods

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Around 40 visitors to the Trust's Old Barn at Westbrook Hay on 17th September were treated to a demonstration of how timber is extracted from woodland using the power of the heavy horse.  Silent, a 21-year-old Clydesdale belonging to Mike Grayson, showed that when it comes to woodland management horses can still beat heavy machinery hands down.  Following the demonstration, people got the chance to learn how to drive Silent themselves, a technique known as 'long reining'.  Our picture shows 7-year-old Megan Wheeler, who as you can see quickly got the hang of it!alt

Music on the Moor, 9th & 10th July 2011

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Photo: Kris Gruber Photography

After months of preparation, Music on the Moor 2011 got under way at midday on Saturday 9th July, with a varied and entertaining programme of artists drawn from the local community and a few from further afield.  Proceedings were opened officially by the Mayor of Dacorum, Councillor Gillian Chapman, and the music began courtesy of rock band Cobra.

By this time people were thronging onto the moor, looking forward to the day's entertainment.  The professional festival-style orbit stage dominated the arena and the dual platform format meant that performances flowed seamlessly from one to another.  Saturday's performers were an eclectic mix of pop, rock, folk, indie and funk, the majority of whom had members drawn from within the Trust's area of benefit (Hemel Hempstead and Bovingdon).  A popular act in 2009, folk band Strange Folk returned to the main stage along with bands such as The Indegenerates, Load"", The Expensive Habits and UnderView, who are all well known locally.   Many other bands performed during the course of the day, including The Raid, who gave us a slightly heavier rock sound, edgy pop/rock from Isabelle and covers band Wired, who went down a storm with the crowd.  By early evening, the crowd had swelled to around 10,000 and up and coming Hemel Hempstead band Dorian Graze took to the stage to an enthusiastic welcome.   They played a selection from their newly-released album as well as a rendition of the Kings of Leon hit 'Sex on Fire', which really got the crowd singing along.  Then a change of mood with the very funky sound of Almost Midnight, before the headline act Jackson Live came on stage just after 9pm.  A terrific high-energy act of singing and dancing backed by a live band, the crowd were treated to a succession of Michael Jackson's best-loved hits culminating in 'Thriller'.  Families with children stayed on right to the end, bopping along with the music and singing themselves hoarse!

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2012 Calendar Photo Competition Winners