Richmond Live set to be replaced for 2017 with The Richmond Festival

Plans are being drawn up to replace Richmond Live for one year only in 2017 with a new event called The Richmond Festival.

It was announced last week that the popular music festival would not be taking place this year despite an earlier declaration that it would be happening on August 4 and 5.

It is understood the decision was taken after Richmond Live organiser Mike Jinks announced that he was stepping down and committee members felt he was so integral to the event’s management that it would be difficult to stage it without his involvement.

But local businessman Pete Bunce, a Richmond Live volunteer, said he was prepared to take up the reins and organise a new event.

He said: “It will be taking place at the same time, at the same place on The Batts and with many of the same bands.

“We’ve had so many offers of help from people, it’s been unbelievable.

“I now need as many as people as possible to know it’s taking place so that they still book to come along.”

Pete said he had already received the backing of numerous businesses in the area and had offers of help from organisations including the Army and the Motor Neuron Disease Society, which the event would be raising money for.

He said he wanted local band The Spirit Levellers to be one of the headliners and was also hopeful of attracting a household name to play at the festival.

A meeting was due to take place at the George and Dragon in Hudswell tonight to discuss plans for the event and setting up a registered charity.

The organisers of Richmond Live have stressed that the proposed new event is kot connected to Richmond Live and that it was always their intention to have a fallow year.

They said the intention was for Richmond Live to return in 2018.

Richmond Live has run for 18 years and has become a key event in the local events calendar.

It started out as a small one day festival but expanded into a Friday and Saturday, and then expanded again in 2016.