We’d like to say a huge thank you to David, Hayley and their family who, once again, have hit all the right notes with their Hendstock Festival in memory of their friend Ian Hendry.
Ian died suddenly after contracting meningitis, and this summer’s festival was the 15th annual celebration of his life, raising money towards our ongoing work. This year saw over £8k added to the coffers, bringing the overall total since the festival started to an amazing £52,527 (including gift aid).
David told us: “Ian was admitted to the John Radcliffe in Oxford where he underwent treatment. He did start to recover but would have been partially deaf and have to live with a number of other disabilities for the rest of his life.
“I saw him a few days before he died, and although clearly still very unwell, he had accepted he would live with his disabilities and was planning an exciting future working on his various businesses. But sadly he suffered a fatal pulmonary embolism a few days later.
Started as a small party
“After his funeral, my wife Hayley suggested that we have a small party in his name near his next birthday, which is how we started Hendstock. It has grown significantly over the years but remains our way of marking his life and raising money to hopefully help others in his situation.”
Since those modest beginnings, Hendstock has continued to grow, although it still takes place in David’s garden. This year’s event saw 10 acts take to the stage and over 500 pints of beer and lots of bottles of prosecco consumed. Food trucks provided the obligatory burgers and pizzas, the sun shone, and everyone had a fabulous time.
Team effort
David added: ‘Hendstock is a team effort. We have help from so many people it would take all day to list them all. However, Hayley and I and our children Alfie and Poppy are hugely grateful to our sponsors and everyone who helps, performs, donates and takes part.
“The deal is we tidy up the garden, build a stage, hire toilets, put up marquees, install lights, set up a PA and put up some bunting.“
We keep the rules and restrictions to a minimum – the main ones are ‘don’t climb on the log piles’ and ‘do not break our treehouse!’”
Our Fundraising Officer Kat Hollywell said: “Thank you David, Hayley and all the family for everything you do to support our work and what a lovely tribute to your friend Ian. We’re really grateful for your support and for helping us to fight back against the devastation of meningitis in this way. Here’s to the next Hendstock!”
- Hendstock 2027 will be on July 24. If you’d like to help sponsor the event, please get in touch. Hendstock is a free festival supported by voluntary donations and takes place in the village of Linton, Cambridgeshire.
