It works if you do it in the same voice that started Live Aid Day, so let’s do it. Hello Pevensey Bay, it’s 12:00pm on Saturday 23rd July and you are live to the world.

Yes it is here. All the planning done, all the venues booked, all the bands confirmed and after an extensive briefing from the organisers late Thursday night, July 7, we are here to give you the whole lowdown on the hoedown.

The details for the show stopping Day Out in the Bay for all the Family now available. Welcome Pevfest 2011, keep rocking in the free world.

First the credits. Organisers, Shirley and Bob MacKinnon are becoming local legends. How exactly did it happen that a little bash one hot weekend in a back garden led, four years later, to one of the biggest and best free festival days out in East Sussex in living memory? One day their story will be told and their names will be up there with the Christmas lights.

Something inspiring about their labour, and all for charity. We really are getting into Bob Geldof territory with the background, so let’s start by giving them a big big shout for their sterling efforts. As they say themselves, ‘fifty bands for free in 7 venues in a one day wonder, is there some sort of record at risk here for community based festivals in the country?…’

What we do know is that we are days away from Chapter 4, Pevfest 2011 and it clearly going to be a blockbuster.

Next word must also be from the organisers themselves about the schedule of events because everyone is beginning to google bomb us and search with the same question. Here is what they have to say about the final play, location and timelist;

Simon Privett is working on the final play and time list so that you will be able to put this on the website very soon so that people can see who is playing when and where.

We know how important it is for everyone to get their cue marks. Hold your horses and a grid will appear here centre stage in the next few days with all the details before you can say Pony Express.

Link to the People Get Ready Grid to see what is currently in the saddlebag.

Next up, the programmes. We have been instructed to emphasise that they are now on sale, as are wristbands, hats and teeshirts. Everything sold is profit to the Charities concerned so as Shirley and Bob put it to us Thursday, let’s go.

Here is a list of the local causes that will benefit, and you couldn’t ask for a better list of local beneficiaries. Total raised last year £6,000. Clearly an aim to top the total in 2011, so keep the numbers crunching and buy those goodies. Keepsakes to remember for ever and a Big Day Out in the Bay that will raise much needed cash for the following organisations;

St Wilfrid’s Hospice
The Pevensey Bay Information Centre
Pevensey Community Action Group
The Beachy Head Chaplaincy
East Sussex Disability Assosciation (Pevensey and Westham Branch)

Next up is the mappa mundi, another clear message from the organisers;

We are now working on the maps for the Day to show where all the street events etc. will be put and they will be out on the Day.

A tip for your desktop download manager. Here at Bay Life we will have copies online in the coming week, as the organisers give us the nod to get the nozzles ready. One click and you will be good to go with your own inkjet band aid brochure just as fast as you can say ‘feed the printer’….

Next man to step up to the bar, The Governor, the person who has done so much to put Pevensey Bay back on the map as a first class free venue for music, Stephan Ritchie at the award winning Beach Tavern Public House.

He is running a raffle with lovely prizes and will donate £500 of the takings from the event to PEVFEST 2011. And Barclays Bank, no less, is on board, we understand. We have been told that they will match what Stephan puts into the coffers. As the organisers put it in a nutshell ‘so we have the chance to raise £1K for charities straghtaway!’ Tickets at only £2.oo per go need to be sold, so think lucky, act lucky, go local and make a beeline for the Beach Tavern.

Last words left to the organisers.

With their thoughts and the cash tills (we hope) beginning to ring in our ears, we will leave you with their Manifesto for Pevfest 2011, and a message from us here at Bay Life….. we are with you all the way.

Daily updates now here in Pevensey Bay’s own online community magazine. Come back and browse for all the news and a big shout as well to every single band that is donating their time, energy and creativity to make the Day happen. Fabulous, just fabulous. Here’s looking at you kids.

Organisers, Shirley and Bob MacKinnon: This music festival is unique. We have 50 bands paying for free in seven venues (is this a Guinness book of records event???) – all those who come to the Day will have free entertainment- if they went to paid events it might be £40 or so to see such brilliant live music- so a few pounds from everyone is not much to ask. Buy merchandise, buy a raffle ticket or put your change in buckets on the Day- plus a few notes, it all helps. A lot of effort goes into this event which brings the community together, gives musicians a chance to play, helps our struggling traders in the village and as a bonus, raises money for local charities.

This is the 4th PEVFEST in a row- the first one in 2008 was in our back garden in Coast Road, with neighbours where we had about 350 people; last year we think 6-8000 people attended in the village so we look forward to a bigger and very profitable event this year. A lot of work from a few people giving their time goes into this event so we need all the funds we can get. Last year we raised nearly £6K and we want to more than pass that this year!!!

Very well said, Bob and Shirley. No way could we possibly have put it better. Bring it on.

The devil is in the detail. Don’t forget to read the small print. Strict instructions from the organisers that we stress car parking will be very very limited on the Big Day Out in the Bay for all the Family. The suggestion is that people walk, take a bus or a cab to and from the Day. We are reliably informed that taxi firm 720720 will be around on the Day outside St Wilfrid’s Church to help!! Great to see the local firms all rallying round.

Publicity leader- Fred Housego (yes of Mastermind fame) is on the case with local updates. Next one, we understand, this coming Friday (15 July), with one final update on Friday 22 July.

And a final final reminder, the organisers are still looking for volunteers on the Day and in the week before and on the Sunday after. Next volunteer meeting is on 18 July at 6:00pm in the Castle Inn Public House at the Baptist Church (note change of venue, date and time the same) and on the day at 10:00am at the Baptist Church.

So here we go. People get ready. Tweet  ‘Pevfest’ and see your thoughts trend centre stage here on the homepage of Bay Life.

Testing again, testing, 1,2,3………Hello Pevensey Bay, it’s 12:00pm on Saturday 23rd July and you are live to the world….