Blues at Burstead - June 2012
Sun, Jun 10th 2012 at 12:00 am -
This open-air music event featuring the Grapevine Blues Band was held at Ivy Cottage, Little Burstead in aid of Little Havens Childrens Hospice.
Blues at Burstead - June 2012
GettingReady1
Preparing to assemble the last Marquee
Getting Ready 2
Assembly starts
Getting Ready 3
Peter winding up the ....
Getting Ready 4
A view of the Marquees in the grounds
Getting Ready 5
Storing the tables in the Bandstand overnight before putting them out
Getting Ready 6
The empty Marquees
Getting Ready 7
The flags go up
Cadets
The cadets ready to help with setting up and stewarding
Getting Ready 8
Putting out the tablecloths
Patrick Bert
Patrick and Bert
Before The Rush 1
The calm before the storm
Car Park
Ample free parking in the adjacent meadow.
Picnic Time 1
And then the crowds had arrived
Picnic Time 2
Another view of the Guests
Music Time
Grapevine Blues Band start Playing
Malcom and Peter
Malcolm and Peter discussing the success of the day
Picnic Time 3
And another view of the Guests
Before The Rush 2
Spin a coin is ready
Picnic Time 5
The Marquee at the top of the garden
Picnic Time 4
From the opposite corner of the garden
Music Time 2
Grapevine Blues Band playing the Blues
Bert
Bert
Raffle Prizes
Raffle Prizes
Ed and Ken
The Club Secretary and the Treasurer scan the crowds
Ed Margarets Table
Ed and Margaret with their guests
Music
Grapevine Blues Band entertaining the crowd
Little Havens
A thank you from Little Havens
Music Time 3
The Summer House on wheels
Music Time 4
More music from the Garpevine Band
Norman Bishop table
Norman and his guests
Interval Music
Roger Barnes keeping everybody entertained in the second interval
The Trevors
The two Trevors and their guests
Dancing
Some of the Guests dancing on the lawn
Interval 2
Enjoying the garden while listening to the music
Blues at Burstead
Each year, the Rotary Club of Billericay holds an open air music event in the garden in support of a local Charity. This year's event was in aid of Little Havens Children's Hospice, and was held as usual, at the home of Rotarian Peter Strong in his beautiful garden at Ivy Cottage, Little Burstead.
The event featured for the first time, Blues music - and featured the well-known Grapevine Blues Band. The Band was formed in 1997 by Mike Chase who is lead singer, and comprises four other musicians of outstanding quality, Dr. Ika on Guitar, who hails from Tbilisi in Georgia, Dave Lennox on Keyboard, Dave 'Roy' Rogers on Bass, and Ivan Hoe an outstanding drummer from South Africa. Dr Ika was twice voted top guitarist in the U.S.S.R.
Many Club members participated in getting the grounds ready for the event, putting up marquees, setting up and arranging tables and chairs, ensuring everything was ready for the event and, most of all, for selling tickets to the event. Over 250 tickets were sold in advance thus ensuring the event would be a financial success.
Primary thanks go to Christabel and Peter Strong 
for making their garden available for the event, and working so hard to make sure all the grounds of the cottage were ready for the influx of visitors. They arranged the hire of the Marquees, tables, chairs and "facilities", drew up and policed the table plan (guests were able to pre-book tables and chairs according the number in each party), and worked tirelessly through the day to ensure the event was a success.
Free parking was available in the meadow adjacent to the house.
Gates opened at 12 pm, and the music 
started at 1.00 p.m. eventually closing after the band's third and final set, at 5 pm. Tickets were
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