Entertainment

good Festival 2022

Good Festival (formerly Hampshire Country & Garden Festival) is a fun-filled day for all of the family hosted by the Hampshire Medical Fund. Set amongst the beautiful gardens of Bere Mill on the River Test in Whitchurch, the festival returns this year on Sunday 26th June.

Every penny from the festival goes towards the purchase of pioneering medical equipment for Basingstoke, Andover and Winchester NHS hospitals. This year, the Hampshire Medical Fund has a very special fund-raising target of £200,000 for the procurement of a state of the art AI (artificial intelligence) machine for interventional radiology. This machine allows minimally invasive, image guided procedures to target tumours in the lungs, kidneys & liver. There are only two of these machines in the entire United Kingdom, which makes it cutting edge technology in cancer treatment for The Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

The festival launches on Saturday 25th June with an evening of sparkling wine, cocktails and canapés set against the backdrop of Bere Mill gardens. This will be followed by supper, a silent auction and a fast auction finale, accompanied by musical duo, The Canapés, on the guitar and violin.

On Sunday, the doors open at 9.30am. Visitors are invited to step among the colourful festival tents and enjoy a day of wholesome good simple fun for all the family. The festival combines exciting interactive attractions and experiences with a feel-good atmosphere. The children’s area will be jam-packed with exciting activities. Children’s entertainers Sharky & George return with their imaginative and energetic games to ensure that the festival is full of bubbles, laughter and happy faces. There will be bushcraft, bubble football, laser fun, circus skills, storytelling, face painting, theatre fun and festival flower headdresses, to name a few! This year there will be a new area for the Under 5’s to keep the littlest festivalgoers entertained.

Infectious funky grooves from the exciting musical brass band, Tuba Libres will have you dancing around the hay bales. Also new for this year, The Good Living Tent, celebrates all aspects of well-being with local experts and practitioners. Have you ever tried aerial silks or wanted to have a go at surfing but not quite made it to the waves? Visitors can experience some of life’s simple outdoor pleasures. For the fishing enthusiasts, ‘Famous Fishing’ will be on the banks of the River Test with fly fishing casting tuition, guidance on fly types, and the opportunity to learn how to tie a fly.

For shoppers, there will be local artisans, delicious local food and drink producers and an array of plant stalls to help fill your garden with summer colour. The festival venue, Bere Mill, leads the line-up of food providers with a barbeque feast sourced from the green pastures all around. The mouth-watering selection will include vegan delights, a hog roast, crêpes, ice-cream, locally roasted coffee and handmade cakes. Make sure you come hungry and thirsty! ‘The Three Cockerels’ mobile bar will provide award-winning drinks from local breweries and distilleries across the South Downs.

Last but not least, enter your canine friends in the popular family fun dog show. In the Good Paws tent, our four legged friends will be in with the chance to win: Dog Most like its Owner, Most Handsome Dog, Waggiest Tail and Dog with the Most Character. Water bowls and doggy waste bins are provided throughout the site.

For further information about Good Festival and to book tickets: www.goodfestival.co.uk. For further information about Hampshire Medical Fund: www.hampshiremedicalfund.org To support this wonderful cause now, text