A local group has successfully bid for a grant of £8,500 from the Big Lottery Fund Fund to put on a one-day celebration of the River Itchen in Riverside Park this spring.
Article continues after this message...
Riverfest is the brainchild of Catherine Wright, left, and Mandi Bissett.
“We were inspired by a talk at the Culture City event last year,” said Catherine. “Stella Duffy spoke about festivals that bring artists and scientists together. I work in the arts and Mandi is an environmentalist so it spoke directly to us. A local organisation called Southampton Collective helped us to apply for the funding. We got the good news a couple of weeks ago so now it's full steam ahead.”
The team are organising a community meeting in the next couple of weeks to share the news and recruit helpers.
'You name it, we need it...'
“We really hope local people who love the river as much as we do will want to come together and be part of this,” said Catherine. “We need help in every possible way – performers, artists, environmentalists, historians, boaters, stewards – you name it, we need it.
“Our friends at the St Denys Art of Heritage Festival which takes place in September have offered us loads of advice and support already. That event is a great example at what the community can achieve when it comes together. We want to be as good as they are!”
Watch this space for details of the upcoming community planning meeting, and you can follow Riverfest on twitter: @soriverfest.