Stage taking shape for Blondie and Paloma
The stage is almost set at Cannock Chase for this weekend's Paloma Faith and Blondie concerts.
Construction at the beauty spot started on Monday, with a team of 30 workers putting it all together.
They have been working round the clock to set up the main stage, 15 marquees, lighting and safety fencing. More than 10,000 music lovers are expected to head to the Birches Valley Forest Centre for the sell-out Forest Live gigs. Stone Cold Sober singer Paloma hits the stage tomorrow night, while legendary rockers Blondie, fronted by Deborah Harry, are performing on Saturday. The Lightning Seeds will be the support act for Blondie.
Recreational manager Andy Coggins, who is based at the Forestry Commission's Cannock Chase office, said it was a big operation but the work was on course to finish on time.
He said: "The set-up of the stage started on Monday but we've been preparing for weeks now. It's a huge operation. We are well on course to have it all up by Friday evening. The weather has been great and much better than last year when we had a big storm. We're just hoping for good weather now for the actual concerts. We can't wait."
Around 10,500 music lovers will pack into the arena over the course of the two-day festival.
A total of 1,000 Paloma tickets were sold in the first weekend of sales, while Blondie shifted 2,000 in the first weekend.
Forest Live is organised by the Forestry Commission. It sees big names play in beauty spots around the UK, with revenue from ticket sales ploughed into improving the woodland. The Cannock Forest concerts began in 2006 and have featured the likes of Erasure, Jools Holland, the Sugababes, Paul Weller and Simple Minds.
