With less than a month to go til this year’s Party in the Park, the committee had lots to discuss at their recent meeting.

Present:  Adrian, Steve, Simon, Jo, Colin, Charlie, Dee, Nigel, Clare

Site preparation: we are arranging for the grass to be cut prior to the event and improved fencing to make the site more secure. Charlie is building us steps to access the stage.

Site layout:  much discussion took place on where to put the toilets! We have more loos this year for both men and women and as such may have to re-think where they are located.  We also have bigger inflatables which need careful consideration due to the logistics of power cables.  The team decided to meet up at the field later in the month to discuss further. We discussed lighting and confirmed it will be improved for the end of the evening to help people navigate the field when they leave.

Site security:  sadly, we had some trouble last year with teens.  Our professional security team will be patrolling the gate and site to ensure no under-age drinking takes place.  Under age drinkers will be escorted off site along with their appropriate adult. Alcohol not purchased on site will be confiscated. The team are volunteers organising an event for the whole community and should not have to put up with abuse from anyone of any age.  We will have a zero-tolerance policy on drunken or abusive behaviour towards both our volunteers and security team and offenders will be removed from site.

Posters:  posters have been printed and distributed throughout the team to put up around the village and local areas. (see below if you can help with posters)

Rubbish and recycling: we are improving the ability to sort out rubbish on the day. Our clean up volunteers had quite the job last year on the Sunday attempting to separate the landfill waste form the recycling.  It was a hard messy job that required strong marigolds! We’re hoping to improve the sorting this year with better signage on the bins and lids on some which will only be for certain recycling eg cans/bottles.

Weather:  we spent far too much time discussing the weather!  The event WILL take place whatever the weather, but obviously contingency plans need to be in place if the worst happens.  We will be monitoring the weather forecast closely and if heavy rain looks likely then we will put plans in place to protect the stage and other electrics fully.

Raffle:  we have some absolutely amazing prizes for the raffle this year which we will be advertising soon.  We will be selling tickets throughout the day and nighttime event and the raffle will be drawn the following day.  All proceeds from the raffle will be split between the stroke ward at Musgrove Hospital and another charity of Mandy Knight’s choosing to honour her late husband David Knight, who was a key member of the PIP team.

Tickets:  Teen tickets are very nearly sold out, and child tickets are running low.  Plenty of adult tickets are still available.  Tickets can be purchased at Creech School Fair of Friday 14th June 3.45-5.30pm or see the tickets page.

How can YOU help?

We always need volunteers for jobs big and small in the run up to the event, on the day, and following the event.  If you can help – for as much or as little as you are able – we would love to hear from you.  Email us, message us on Facebook or speak to one of the team about how you can get involved.  We currently need help with:

1. Poster distribution – are you able to put up a poster at your work or a notice board near you?  Posters available to download and print or you can contact us to request a paper copy.
   • Download DAY poster
   • Download AFTER DARK poster
2. Friday  – we need strong bodies on the day before the event for lots of manual jobs at the field.  Please let us know if you can help.
3. Saturday clean-up – bins need to be emptied, toilets need to checked/cleaned, field needs to be setup for evening, rubbish cleared from field.
4. Sunday clean-up – many hands make light work!  If you can help clear the site the next morning please just turn up and dig in.