STRATTON St Margaret Parish Council has announced that its popular festival will be returning once again this year.

The Stratton Festival will be staged on Saturday, July 16 and Sunday, July 17 on the recreation field behind Grange Leisure on Grange Drive.

This free community event will take place from midday on Saturday through to 10.30pm with a line-up including live music including headliners Get Carter, vintage vehicle exhibition, a dog show in association with Drove Vets, fun fair, an arts and crafts fayre, craft workshops and many more activities still to be announced.

Children’s entertainment will include drama workshops, music, dance, face painting, magic shows and more.

On Sunday the programme will run from midday until 5pm and will feature a variety of musical performances and talent slots from groups across Stratton and the wider Swindon audience.

The popular Stratton Beer and Cider Festival returns with a very special guest drink which is being prepared just for the festival and will available during the festival weekend.

Stratton Festival brings thousands from the local community together and celebrates the fantastic talent that Stratton St Margaret and the wider community of Swindon has to offer. In the process this popular event raises thousands of pounds for local groups and charities.

The chairman of the council, Joe Tray said: “Fundraising is a core objective of the council’s Stratton Festival. We invite community groups and charities to join us and stage their own fundraising activities which help them to raise hundreds of pounds for their own causes.

"The council also chooses a charity each year to fundraise for. In 2015 this was Prospect Hospice and I am delighted to confirm that we have raised over £1,800 for this very worthy local charity.”

Stratton Festival has an army of local businesses, groups and volunteers who come together every year to help stage the event. Nationwide helps set up and take down the festival, sending a group of around ten volunteers to assist the council. The local Scouts and Air Training Cadets help with keeping the festival site tidy and everyone safely parked up with a litter picking team on hand and parking marshals.

The Festival also runs the “Ditch your Car, it’s not Far” sustainable travel campaign by encouraging festival goers to arrive by foot, bike or cycle. The festival site is on the Stagecoach Number 7 Bus Route from the town centre to Highworth which stops at Greenbridge Retail Park. This frequent bus service runs throughout the weekend until late.

The parish council is looking for sponsors, volunteers, community groups, caterers, breweries to get involved in this year’s festival. If you interested in participating please email the Deputy Clerk: deputy.clerk@strattonstmargaret.gov.uk or call 01793 823761.