A NORTH Yorkshire music festival in memory of a front-line Yorkshire Air Ambulance worker is back for a 'bigger and better' second year.
Crawfest, a family friendly music festival, will be held at Partings Farm, Ebberton, Pickering, on Friday, July 22 to Saturday, July 23, hosting 15 bands ranging from 1980s ‘Top of the Pops’ stars to local indie bands.
All the profits are going to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
The festival was created in memory of Yorkshire Air Ambulance worker, Alan Crawford, an advanced emergency clinician, who tragically lost his life to Covid-19 in 2020, age 59.
The founder of Crawfest, Oliver Lord, met Alan 14 years ago at work.
He said: "He's really missed and it’s not the same without him.
"He was a really nice bloke, very funny with a dry sense of humour, and liked to keep his private life to himself, he was a family man with a wife, two daughters, and sisters.
"He loved to read and listen to music - music was Alan's great passion, he loved seeing live bands and collecting vinyl’s."
Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 restrictions limiting how many could attend a funeral at the time, Oliver and his colleagues could not attend Alan's funeral.
So, as Alan was a member of the Merchant Navy in the past, they drove down the Scarborough sea front past the ships to remember him.
Crawfest debuted last year as a single-day event, with nine bands and sold all 500 tickets
Oliver said: "It was a real success, we want to make it bigger and better over the years to come.
“We are aiming to sell 1,500 tickets this year, building up to 5,000 over the next few years.”
This year the festival is held over two days, with an eclectic line up including up and coming Scarborough indie band, The Feens, cover band Big Me, Hull-based band Breeze, country singer Stevie O’Connor, and a favourite band of Alan’s – 1980’s pop band, Red Box, who appeared on Top of the Pops.
All profits made from the festival are going to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, and Oliver has planned for one of its helicopters to fly into the festival.
The festival will also host children’s activities, such as den-making out of hay, a cinema, marquees and stalls.
Yorkshire Air Ambulance is a charity that delivers advanced care to seriously injured patients across Yorkshire.
Tickets for Crawfest can be purchased on its website.
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