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May 2020

Last Updated: 28/07/2020

Lockdown festival continues with high hopes after raising £500 for hospital on first day

by Vicky Carr

| 09 May, 2020

From a singing trio of young sisters recreating wartime songs to a training session with Harrogate Town Football Club, HG Community Lockdown Festival has proved popular so far. Its programme of events continues until the end of the bank holiday weekend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=LZkJNuCW59Y&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR1KaoAd7b_ytOAmyew2mcExSiJR08iZ4lgHK-1_t8lab9Cm5AS_UhdIZO8

A festival designed to bring people together online has proved a hit with communities across the Harrogate district.

HG Community Lockdown Fest has more than 60 activities scheduled across the bank holiday weekend, including VE Day celebrations on Friday. Among the online performances was a wartime-style song from The Haddow Sisters in Harrogate (shown above), reminiscent of popular 1940s group The Andrews Sisters.

Each session is free, but participants are being encouraged to donate what they can to Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity when they sign up. The fundraising total at the end of Friday stood at £500.

On top of that, Harrogate Town AFC is putting its weight behind the weekend, auctioning off a signed shirt this afternoon and contributing more than £600 for the charity.

Local history

Mental health webinars, children's Spanish classes, cooking workshops and an online beer-tasting will be held today. Tomorrow, with the weather expected to turn colder, organisers are hopeful that the programme of interior design, floristry, singing, yoga and local history will prove even more popular.

Rebecca Oliver, who helped to put the weekend of events together, said:

"It's impossible to say how many participants we've had, but every event has had someone taking part - despite the amazing weather! We've got some great sessions still to come, including plenty on Sunday which are ideal for a rainy day."

For more information, visit the event's website: www.hglockdownfest.co.uk.