PLANS for a popular live music event are pressing ahead as the UK looks forward to wider reopening from July 19.

Glaston-BURY, which began in 2008, sees upwards of 150 bands perform on stages across the town each summer but was forced to cancel its plans last year due to the ongoing pandemic.

The event’s organisers are now promising the one-day festival will go ahead as planned on Monday, August 30 with thousands of pounds set to be raised for Bury Hospice as a result.

Festival organiser Chris Buckley said: “It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster and we’ve been full of apprehension waiting to hear just want the Prime Minister has to say about reopening.

“Local authorities have their own restrictions too so it’s been a slow process talking to over 200 different acts who all need information.

“Thankfully everyone has been really patient and now we’re all ready to go.”

An estimated £170,000 has been raised for good causes since the festival’s inception with 2019’s event welcoming around 3,000 people to the town centre.

Last year saw Glaston-BURY move online with acts seeing their sets live streamed on Facebook.

“Glaston-BURY is really important this year because all the venues have had a serious knock to their trade,” said Chris. “Everyone has been effected by Covid so we have to do as much as we can to support those venues and make sure they’re full of people who can put something back into our local economy.

“There is a lot of ill feeling in the live entertainment industry about how they’ve been treated.”

Chris added that he hoped this year’s Glaston-BURY would be the best ever.

“We’re all positive and really excited,” he added. “It’ll be our biggest event to date with more stages and acts than ever before.”

For more information go online to glaston-bury.com