Watchet gets solar power

Audience magazine reports that the Watchet Live festival are utilising solar and wind power to reduce their reliance on electricity from fossil fuels. Watchtt Live organiser Mark Bale has tied up with our friends at Croissant Neuf (winner of an 'outstanding' Greener Festival Award in 2009) who are providing their solar powered stage as the second stage at the 3500 capacity event.  Mike Beale said that using the stage "reduces our generators and diesel by about one third" adding "we are also able to use it as an educational process, demonstrating what is possible using renewable energy and we've been able to win a grant from Local Action for Rural Communities on the basis of using environmental facilities as a way of attracting tourism". Headliners at the August Bank Holiday weekend bash include The Beat and Adrian Edmonson & The Bad Shepherds. www.watchetfestival.co.uk