Village gets first music festival

A young man who has raised thousands of pounds for charity after his mother died of cancer has organised a rural village’s first music festival.

Tom Mackelden, whose mum Tania passed away from cancer last February, has since put together a number of events in support of the cause, having raised over £15,000, as well as setting up a support group for the families of those affected by the disease.

Now he’s set his sights on creating Staplehurst’s first open-air music festival with two co-organisers while donating all proceeds to Cancer Research UK.

TN Live Festival is focused on showcasing talent from the area featuring a line-up of local bands, young artists, and cover bands.

“We have some more well known acts from the likes of The Gallerys, Tarot Rats, and Black Sheep which people may have heard of but the whole point, especially of the first festival, is to give young and unknown acts a bit of a break,”said the 20-yearold.

“I like to think that because it’s the first one people will come to see what it’s like but it will be a snowball effect and attract bigger bands in the future.

“Hopefully we can get some really famous acts one day.”

The Staplehurst resident has taken part in a variety of fundraisers including a charity football match and a number of marathons since his mother’s battle with cancer.

“I always like doing new things and challenging myself,” he said.

TN Live Festival is set to take place at Jubilee Sports Field in Headcorn Road, Staplehurst on Saturday, September 1.

Tickets are available at ticketsource.co.uk/tnlive