Saving lives through rock
Nick Churchill looks behind the scenes at Chesil Rocks, a unique annual charity festival in Langton Herring
Published in June ’19
The Ley lines in action at last year’s Chesil Rocks
It’s all about the bunting. Months before this year’s Chesil Rocks music festival, it’s a headache for Tim and Hilary Warren. ‘We had three kilometres of bunting last year from the ladies of the “Portesham Volunteers” and we were still a mile or so short,’ says Hilary. ‘You wouldn’t believe how difficult it can be to get good bunting. Some of what we have is a little worn now. I know it’ll all be fine on the day, but it can be a worry.’
Tim and Hilary are the co-creators of and the driving force behind the annual festival, which is now in its ninth year and grew out of the parties held in their back garden, just a stone’s throw from the Jurassic Coast at Langton Herring. After running their singer/songwriter daughter, Sarah, down to open mic nights in Weymouth pubs, they knew quite a few people on the local music scene, so when it was suggested that they turn their parties into a mini-festival and maybe raise some money for charity, the idea didn’t sound so crazy after all.
Since the first festival in 2011, Chesil Rocks has generated some £58,000 for the Samaritans of Dorset at Weymouth, donations that in the last two years have accounted for a quarter of the group’s income.
Hilary and Tim Warren, without whom…
‘We just thought that if we could make things a little less difficult for them, we’d be doing a good thing,’ explains Tim. ‘I was a Dorset police officer for thirty years and saw the aftermath of many suicides. It touches you. There’s no respite for the family and loved ones, they have those unanswered questions for the rest of their lives.
‘The local Samaritans former director, David Webb, lives in the village and many is the time we used to come home from work and see him leaving to go to man the phones – it was cold, wet, dark and we’d had tiring days, but he was just getting started. The problem is that Samaritans don’t get any funding other than what they raise themselves and a lot of their volunteers have to spend much of their time fundraising rather than supporting people in distress.’
Tim retired from the police in 2006 to become practice manager at Poundbury Dental Practice, where Hilary was a dentist. He retired again in 2016 and Hilary joined him and now the two wonder how they ever managed Chesil Rocks as well as working. ‘It can be exhausting and the build-up is intense, but it’s good fun,’ says Hilary. ‘Tim says he sees people walk away from him as the date draws near because they know he
can’t hold a conversation without mentioning Chesil Rocks and asking them how many tickets they want.’
People having a good time at Chesil Rocks
The one-day festival came close to selling out in advance last year and made up the numbers with walk-up sales on the gate. Capacity is limited to 500 and as it is all in the Warrens’ back garden, there is no possibility of growing the site, although this year they will also host a classical music evening, organised by John Mason, husband of current Samaritans director Julie, in the marquee on the Friday night.
‘We looked at expanding into another venue but the whole point is to raise money for charity and at the moment for every pound we put in we get nearly two back,’ says Tim. ‘We have some wonderful sponsors who help out with things like the scaffolding for the stage, the toilets, the marquee and a company that donates a skip every year for the rubbish, but if we had one wish, it would be to find a sponsor that would cover all the set-up costs so we were not so vulnerable financially.’ ‘And some more volunteers to help us tidy up would be nice as well!’ adds Hilary.
Festival-goers are permitted to bring their own food, but not alcohol, which can only be bought at the on-site bar organised by the male chapter of the bunting-touting ‘Portesham Volunteers’. Chesil Rocks is a licensed event and can better meet its responsibilities under the Licensing Act if the sale and consumption of alcohol are monitored on site.
As a community event, it enjoys broad support from the village, something the Warrens are not taking for granted, as Tim explains: ‘Not everyone is wholly on board, but I think some of the fears were allayed when people realised they weren’t going to be invaded. To be honest, we recognise the concerns – people come to Langton Herring for the peace and quiet, not to live next door to a music festival, so we can understand. However, many people also look forward to getting together with neighbours and having a relaxed day, and we have lots of regulars setting up in the same spots year after year.’
The original heavy metal rock star, Jurassic Julie
As well as twelve hours of live music on two stages (one outdoors and a marquee), with each act starting on one stage as the previous band finishes on the other, there is a comedy hour (lasting for 90 minutes), local food including vegan pizza, sausages and other produce, a fairy tale trail, children’s activities and various stalls.
Overseeing the site is a gigantic metal dinosaur made of redundant agricultural parts. ‘That’s Jurassic Julie – we had a competition to name her and thought that sounded like a good name for an old rocker from the coast,’ says Hilary as Tim explains it was made for the Great Dorset Maize Maze in Rodden, a family attraction that closed down. ‘We borrowed her one year and she took root, so when the artist/welder who made her said he was considering scrapping her, we had a think about it and bought her from him to save her for Chesil Rocks.’
Hilary then made a Flintstones car to sit in Julie’s shadow – the perfect selfie set and much loved by social media-literate grown-ups. Tim’s hand-built rum shop by the main stage becomes the Rocktail Bar and bizarrely lurking nearby is a half-hidden model of Kim Jong-il. ‘We’re also really into growing sweet peas to put up around the fenced-off outdoors urinals for the gents, the Sweet Pees,’ laughs Hilary. ‘It’s all quite eccentric, but that’s the appeal, that’s where the magic is.’
Chesil Rocks, 21, 22 June, Higher Farmhouse, Langton Herring
www.chesilrocks.com
Samaritans (call free) 116123
The Samaritans of Dorset at Weymouth: 01305 771777 or visit www.samaritans.org/branches/weymouth/
