Festival in boy's memory raises £1m for charity

An independent family-friendly festival has raised more than £1m for children with cancer.

Organisers of Teddy Rocks, held at Charisworth Farm in Blandford, Dorset, said the event reached the landmark moment in its history by raising £185,000 in this year's edition.

Starting as a small charity gig in The Greyhound pub, it has gone on to become a yearly May Day bank holiday weekend event, welcoming thousands of people for three days of live music, entertainment and community spirit.

Tom Newton, who founded the festival in memory of his little brother Ted who he lost to rare cancer in 2010, said "everyone wants to help and make it the most special show on Earth".

The volunteer-run event brings sponsors, artists and supporters together who share the same goal of raising funds to support children and families affected by cancer.

Newton said it was "surreal" to see how much it has developed from "a bucket of coins for £400 in the pub".

"I remember counting the coins in a bucket and long story short, it's now 6,000 people a day," he said.

All profits are split between Young Lives vs Cancer, Bone Cancer Research Trust, George's Rockstars, Alfie's Wish and Teddy20 - the charity established in memory of Ted.

Over the years, it has been headlined by stars such as Jake Bugg, Liberty X and Atomic Kitten, and has won national awards.

Newton said: "It's completely organic - I'd meet people in the road when I was touring and playing in bands.

"I'd tell them the story, more and more people got involved, they'd tell friends, their friends would tell friends and before you know it, we've got this absolute monster of a festival.

"It's an honour for me. It keeps Ted alive. And selfishly speaking, it's a coping strategy, really."

He added it also aimed to "help all the other Teds that are going on their journey right now".

"To see it in children is just a level of evil you can't describe.

"It's an honour to be able to have so many friends that put so much time and energy into it and make something amazing."

Plans are already under way for next year's event between 30 April and 2 May.