NORBURY CANAL FESTIVAL
‘Norbury’ can deny what a
lison Frizzell, the owner of
The Junction Inn at
Norbury
Junction,
Shrewsbury and Newport
Canals
Trust,
and
the
community of Norbury village
recently teamed up to jointly
organise and host the most
successful
Norbury
Canal
Festival to date.
With a staggering 10,000
people attending, organisers
didn’t think they could top the
success of last year but they
most certainly did.
The annual festival took
place over the first May Bank
holiday on Saturday, Sunday
and Monday 3rd, 4th, and 5th of
May with all the action kicking
off at 10am daily.
More traditional stalls than
A
36 June/July 2014
ever before lined the canal
towpath with others alongside
Norbury Wharf, as well as in the
garden of the Norbury Junction
Inn.
A big marquee set the stage
for the evening events hosting
live music by Driftwood on
Saturday, Joe and the Volcanoes
on Sunday, and six local bands
on the Monday fundraising for
the Brain Tumour Trust while
during the daytime outside were
some stars in the making with
various local singers. The
marquee was also on hand to be
used as shelter should it be
required but with the only
downpours coming as the
festival came to a close at 6pm
on Monday it was mainly
utilised during the evenings.
Other attractions included
boat trips on the canal, a
fairground and bouncy castle,
best dressed boat competition
and a WI tea stall serving drinks
and delicious homemade cakes.
Radio Stafford again chose to
broadcast from the event which
also saw the traditional talents of
Burton Borough Brass Band
performing and the traditional
canalside church service held on
Sunday afternoon.
Over the weekend boat
traders, modern narrow boats
and restored working boats
gathered for creating a buzzing
atmosphere for visitors who also
had the opportunity to look
inside some of the boats to see
what life is like on board.
Speaking about the Festival’s
success Alison added: “The area
was booming as thousands
flocked to the event which
continues to get bigger and
better every year.
“It was truly a fun filled bank
holiday to remember, the BBQ
sold out every day even though
we kept getting more supplies
and even with 17 plus staff we
still struggled to keep the queues
at bay. Luckily the weather was
glorious so people were very
patient as they could see the