Vanfest

It rained and rained and rained….. but so what! The organisers of this event know what needs to be done for a good weekend. As well as having a huge barn devoted to a disco and live bands, they had a hall for those who wanted to drink in peace and quiet.

We had great fun helping out on the information stand, many of LTV club members helped out too – in fact, LTV practically ran it! We only did 4 hours each over the weekend and, apart from being able to help others, we were warm and dry. I know that I’ll volunteer again next year and hopefully we can show the same support again from our members.

The show and shine was held in a large tent (about the area of two modestly sized houses!) which pleased the vehicle owners no end – it saved them having to constantly clean their vans/cars due to the drizzle. It was the usual show and shine but now includes called Rust and Prime! Perhaps other event organisers should think about this category as not all VW lovers can afford concourse condition vehicles but love them just as much.

The cooking in a camper competition was great fun to watch. The people who take part in this event take it very seriously and the quality of the meals they produced was astounding – especially when you consider that they only have two burners and a grill to cook with.

There was something for everyone – hot doughnuts, bouncy castles, videos, trade stands and more. For the kids (or should I say parents!) there was a crèche and in the main hall there were shows, such as the Rainbow Rabbit Magic show, as well as films. The craft fair had some interesting items and there was a good representation from most of the VW clubs in the UK.

However, I think the biggest and most exciting thing was the BIG BAY. Over 540 camper vans where lined up over several hours and the result was amazing. The detail and dedication put into this one area of the weekend was tremendous.

All in all, this is not one to miss. Okay so it was wet and windy but a large percentage of the activities are under cover. Besides, there’s a lovely Indian restaurant up the road!

Fiona Hedges