First bands announced and tickets now on sale for charity music festival in Midsomer Norton

The first bands have been announced for SAMFEST, a new family charity music festival taking place in April 2023, planned to raise money for and awareness of the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

Bands announced include Glastonbury-based Nick Parker and the False Alarms, fresh from supporting The Levellers on their European tour, and musical comedy from Gavin Osborn and the Comment Section.

Other acts already confirmed include singer-songwriters Nigel G Lowndes, Martyn Plant, Tom Youdan and the upcoming Flo Parker Bombosch, function band dancefloor fillers Le Funk and musical theatre performances from Merriman Theatre Group, with more acts and entertainment to be announced later in the year. 

SAMFEST is the brainchild of local theatre director and musician Graeme Savage, and is being produced to support his friend Sam Hayden-Harler who was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in early 2022 at the young age of 35.

Graeme says “We were all devastated when Sam announced his diagnosis earlier this year, but he has amazed us all with his positive approach to the disease and has become a force of nature in wanting people to learn about the illness and its effects on the sufferers and their families."

MND is a fatal, rapidly progressing disease which affects the brain and spinal cord. It attacks the nerves that control movement and eventually leaves people unable to move, communicate or breathe. It kills a third of people within a year of diagnosis and half within two years. There is no cure.

Graeme says “Even in the early days, Sam came up with a bucket list that he wanted to achieve while he still could – everything from dying his hair to visiting New York, appearing on TV to walking on the roof of the O2! One of the items was to attend a music festival, another was to raise £50,000 for MNDA - so rather than just sending him to Reading or Glastonbury, we thought it would be in keeping to organise a new festival for Sam, to tick off an item on his list and to raise some money!” 

The MND Association is the only national charity in England, Wales and Northern Ireland focused on improving access to care, research and campaigning for those people living with or affected by MND. The money SAMFEST raises will help the charity continue its work.

Graeme adds “The offers of support for SAMFEST have been incredible so far. Most of the bands and artists are Festival regulars from Glastonbury to Towersey Festival to Keynsham Music Festival, and have been really supportive in helping get things up and running. The team behind the Outfield Festival have offered to run the bar and BBQ for us, and we’re getting messages all the time from artists asking and offering to be involved. We also have some incredible prizes lined up for the raffle including a family ticket for the renowned Camp Bestival in summer 2023!”

Sam himself has been fundraising for the MND Association since he first learned of his diagnosis, with a spectacular charity gala in his hometown of Swanley in August 2022 raising £12,000 in a single evening.

SAMFEST will take place at Somervale School on Saturday 15 April, from 3pm – 10pm, and will feature live music, family entertainment, spoken word artists, craft stalls, bars, a BBQ and a big prize raffle. Tickets are priced at £25 each (family tickets for 4 people at £75), and can be booked at www.ticketsource.co.uk/merrimantheatre. All proceeds from the day will be going to the MND Association.

For more information on SAMFEST, please contact Graeme Savage on +44 (0)7850179642 or graeme@merrimantheatre.com.

For more information about MND and the MND Association, please visit www.mndassociation.org.