The Donkey pub hosts community festival

Trent and the Dark Wings

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The Donkey pub on Syke Road, Rochdale has held a free festival today for members of the local community. The festival hoped to recreate the feel of Deeply Vale festival in the 1970s.

Cassie O’Donovan who organised the event said: “It’s a free day for the community with local bands coming together to perform.”

The festival kicked off at 2pm and continued into the night.

Bands performing at the event are all local to Rochdale and include performers such as Bob Dunil, Trent and The Darkwings, The Bigsby Brothers, Rainmaker, Debroah Crossing, Matty Brett, The Buzzaldrins and headline act The Whiskey Bs.

Cassie added: “As well as live bands we have a bouncy castle, food, a DJ and stocks were people can throw sponges at one another.”

The organisers hope to continue the festival next year. “We held a charity event last month which was really good so we can see if we can do something again and maybe hold an annual festival.”

Christian James who was involved in organising the bands performing today said: “We want to promote local music in Rochdale and bring everybody together. Hopefully we can do it again in the future.”

The Deeply Vale festival, which has inspired today's Deeply Dale free festival, ran from 1976 to 1979.