West Country favourites The Wurzels attracted a sell-out crowd of around 500 people to Brickfields on Saturday night.
The veteran ‘Zider’ drinkers still know how to party and they helped raise £5,300 for 2 rural organisations.
The concert raised money for the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (R.A.B.I) and The Leverets (Isle of Wight Foot Beagles Supporters’ Club). R.A.B.I is a farming welfare charity that gave grants of £1.9million to farming people in hardship in 2015. R.A.B.I helps working farmers, farmworkers and their families who rely on farming for their main source of income. Help can also be given to retired farmers, farmworkers and their dependants.
The Wurzels were formed back in Somerset in 1966 and ever since they’ve been singing about dung-spreading, cider-making and the farming way of life, generally adding a comic twist to tunes old and new. Their best known song ‘Combine Harvester’ got to number 1 in 1976, while ‘I am a Cider Drinker’ reached number 3 in the charts the same year.
Sally Field, R.A.B.I regional manager for the South East, said:
“You are always guaranteed a good night when The Wurzels are in town and they did not disappoint.
“Many people in the farming world are going through some tough times at the moment, but this fundraiser provided an opportunity to do something positive for them whilst having fun.
“At R.A.B.I we currently help a lot of people with general debt problems, who are finding it harder to budget on low incomes. Farm accidents, unexpected deaths and serious illness are other reasons why many approach us for assistance.”
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Naomi Bellamy, chairman of The Leverets, added:
“I’d like to thank Kieron and Paul Read from Reynolds & Read for the use of Brickfields as well as the many other people who contributed to such a memorable night in the Wight!”
Featured photo front L-R: Tim Mosdel; Sedge Moore; Anna Plimley; Karen Sheath; Naomi Bellamy; Pete Budd; John Morgan; Sally Field; Anne Kennerely; Angus Bellamy – Back L-R: Julie Wannop Corney and Tommy Banner
