THIS is the story of how a Swindonian who wanted to create a festival that would bring big-name acts to the town while supporting military charities turned his dream into reality.

Graham Stobbs first told the Adver about his idea for the MFor Festival just over two years ago and is now celebrating its success and looking forward to its return in 2020.

Mr Stobbs and his friend Debra Collins oversaw a small army of production teams, stage managers, artist management professionals, caterers and more who created an event that saw 5,000 people pack Lydiard Park to watch a variety of pop stars and local acts perform live.

Graham said: “If I could go back and offer advice to myself when I started this, I would say to just keep doing what you’re doing and don’t listen to all the doubters trying to push you off course.

“We knew what we wanted to do but so many people told us it would never happen and we couldn’t pull it off. I would never have got to where I am now if I changed anything and we proved everyone wrong.

“Something like this, a festival that's designed to help people, had not been done before, it was my dream. We had to be cautious because there are a lot of sharks out there and it's a risky business.

"I just wanted to give Swindon a big event that didn't get cancelled."

Originally scheduled for 2018, the first attempt at hosting a new festival did not go ahead for personal reasons but the team behind it quickly bounced back and got to work on plans for 2019.

The re-scheduled family fun day on July 27 this year included a whopping 206 structures set up around Lydiard Park.

These included fairground attractions and adventure zone obstacle courses along with the all-important main stage and Swindon 105.5 stage.

Years and Years headlined and closed the festival after Ella Eyre, HRVY, Becky Hill, Phats and Small, Toploader, She Makes War and homegrown talent Jahmene Douglas and Talk in Code wowed the crowds.

The big day also supported veterans' charities and community groups.

Two weeks before it all kicked off, Graham joined the Red Devils parachute display team in a practice jump ahead of their midday drop-in at the festival itself.

Graham added: “Festivals are a lot of work because there's a lot to think about and arrange, it’s a 24/7 effort.

"Though it was difficult getting it off the ground, it was very rewarding to see so many people support it.

"We found people from the industry who had a lot of expertise and heart and were interested in what we wanted to do for Swindon. It was a great team who took it seriously and really believed in it.

"Our reputation grew and spread through word of mouth because in the music industry everyone knows everyone - one of our site managers works at Glastonbury.

"Organising this started a year ago and I was like a team leader, making sure everyone was having a good time, it was an enormous team effort.

"There weren’t many hurdles because we had great artists lined up, the council were overwhelmingly good to us and it was exciting organising the biggest party in Swindon that was also a safe event for families.

“On the day itself, I was working behind the scenes and it happened so quickly after all those months of planning that it almost feels like I haven't done it, it's hard to believe.

"There was a great vibe, the entertainment went down a storm and people are already asking about next year.

"I would like to thank everyone who came out to support us and everyone who has helped make this such a roaring success.

"We did exactly what we set out to do and this is just the start. It's a building block for many more to come, we have financial backing for five years and we hope it will just grow and grow.

"This festival is here to stay and it's put Swindon on the map, hopefully people feel proud to be part of the town."