Chase Wakes: Delight as Burntwood festival to return home
The Burntwood Wakes festival is returning 'home' after more than a decade away, say delighted organisers.
This year's festival will be back on its old stomping ground at Burntwood Leisure Centre.
The event, which attracts up to 10,000 people each year, moved to Burntwood Rugby Club in the early 2000s so it could be expanded from one day to three.
But its lack of parking and 'bowl-like' plot of land have seen its popularity dwindle.
In the past, the likes of Status Quo have performed at the Wakes, or the Chase Wakes as it is known to many. The festival is coming up to 151 years old but in recent times it has run into problems.
Last year its organisation fell to four groups who spread the traditional three-day event over four weeks. While in the three previous years it was cancelled twice due to bad weather.
But now Burntwood Town Council has said the Wakes will be returning to its old home.
Council chairman Pam Stokes said: "We hope this will return the Wakes to its former glory. This is what people have been screaming out for in the last few years. We asked people what they wanted and they said 'bring it home, let's go back to the traditional Wakes'."
This year the main event will be held on July 23 between midday and 4pm at the leisure centre, which is much closer to the town centre.
It will be opened by Burntwood's own Taekwondo world champion Rachel France Shepherd who will lead a scarecrow parade.
At the event itself it is hoped the Rugeley Power Station Brass Band and the Burntwood Blue Birds Jazz Band will be among those performing. There will also be stalls, a dog show, inflatables and fairground rides. Entry will be free.
On July 16 the Push Kart Derby, which was put on for the first time last year at Sankey's Corner, will be returning,
with hopefully up to 15 entrants – double the number who took part the first time.
Councillor Stokes said the budget this year is £20,000, half of what it has been at the rugby club, but it is hoped the festival can be expanded in the future.
She said: "We can't have the big procession this year because of all of the health and safety issues. But we will look into it for future years."
The Chase Wakes launched in 1865 to celebrate the opening of St. Anne's Church. It stopped in 1959 due to the decline in coal mining but was revived in 1970.
