Be in Belhaven
Encyclopedia
Be in Belhaven is an annual music festival which takes place in Scotland
at Belhaven Park, a public park in the town centre of Wishaw
, North Lanarkshire
. The first Be in Belhaven festival took place on 2 August 2008. The event is run by the Be in Belhaven Planning Group, an amalgamation of local volunteer groups, Wishaw Patch Voice and Friends of Belhaven, as a free charity event with donations on the day of the event going to a chosen charity. The main beneficiary being Maggie's Cancer Centers In Particular Maggie's Lanarkshire Interim service at Wishaw General Hospital.
guitarist Graeme Duffin. There was also many activities put on for young children in a bid to attract people along early in the day with the music becoming the main focus later in the day.
Headliners for the event were Glasgow girl band The Hedrons
who, having already had chart success, was seen as a real coup. Negotiations with other chart acts The Holloways
and The Rumble Strips
had broken down. 34 other bands also played the event including tribute act, The Underground Jam and local bands such as Rocketfox, The Lafontaines
, The Down & Outs, The Jackanoorys, Station Sound, The Seventeenth Century and Opportunity Club
The event turned out to be a much greater success than anticipated, attracting over 6000 people on the day and raising £2500 for Oxfam, making it the largest Oxjam ever at that point in time.
Additionally the event was seen a success by the local community and police force and heralded as a "modern take on the gala day". Despite there being a large number of people on site along with a licenced bar, there was no incidents in the park.
At an early stage management of local establishment The Commercial Hotel got on board as a main sponsor of the event, handling the bars and catering.
Feedback suggested that the event be kept as to local bands thus keeping the community vibe, although 2008 favourites, The Underground Jam, were invited back to close the event. This led to auditions for the main stage being held with the hope of uncovering some hidden gems in the local community, one band that turned up chancing their luck actually opened the festival. The Foundry Music Lab ran a new stage while Aromas Cafe took over the acoustic tent.
Over 50 acts performed on 3 stages over the day, raising money for Oxfam and Maggies Centres. The acts included Still Vintage, The Underground Jam, The Lafontaines
, Tempercalm, MakethisRelate
, Dear Stars guitarist Stephen Archieblad's former band Midas, The Jackanoorys, Station Sound, Crossfire
and Annie Stevenson. Wet Wet Wet
guitarist Graeme Duffin
made a special appearance in the Foundry Music Lab Arena alongside JJ Gilmour, of The Silencers
fame. The event was once again more successful than anticipated as over 10,000 people and went on to raise around £6000 for charity.
, Leeds boys The Stella Frays, The Lafontaines
, MakethisRelate
, and Vigo Thieves.Wet Wet Wet
guitarist Graeme Duffin
made a special appearance in the Foundry Music Lab Arena playing with family members under the guise of The Duffins. The event was regarded as a success as around 10,000 people attended the event on the day.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
at Belhaven Park, a public park in the town centre of Wishaw
Wishaw
Wishaw is a large town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is on the edge of the Clyde Valley, 15 miles south-east of Glasgow....
, North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. It borders onto the northeast of the City of Glasgow and contains much of Glasgow's suburbs and commuter towns and villages. It also borders Stirling, Falkirk, East Dunbartonshire, West Lothian and South Lanarkshire...
. The first Be in Belhaven festival took place on 2 August 2008. The event is run by the Be in Belhaven Planning Group, an amalgamation of local volunteer groups, Wishaw Patch Voice and Friends of Belhaven, as a free charity event with donations on the day of the event going to a chosen charity. The main beneficiary being Maggie's Cancer Centers In Particular Maggie's Lanarkshire Interim service at Wishaw General Hospital.
Planning
In the Autumn of 2007, Friends of Belhaven, a Belhaven Park community group, approached Wishaw Patch Voice, a local youth group known locally for running music events, about providing live music for a family fun day. As one thing led to another, the family funday became a fully fledged music festival.Event
The event rook place on 2 August and was run as a Music Festival and a Family Funday. Along with the Main Stage there was also an Acoustic Tent run by the Foundry Music Lab, a Recording studio run by Wet Wet WetWet Wet Wet
Wet Wet Wet are a Scottish pop rock band that formed in the 1980s. They scored a number of hits in the British charts and around the world. The band is composed of Marti Pellow , Tommy Cunningham , Graeme Clark and Neil Mitchell...
guitarist Graeme Duffin. There was also many activities put on for young children in a bid to attract people along early in the day with the music becoming the main focus later in the day.
Headliners for the event were Glasgow girl band The Hedrons
The Hedrons
The Hedrons are an all-girl four-piece rock band, formed in early 2005 in their native Glasgow.-Career:The band have released three singles on the Glasgow based label, Measured Records. Two singles went top 5 and one went top 20 in the Scottish Chart...
who, having already had chart success, was seen as a real coup. Negotiations with other chart acts The Holloways
The Holloways
The Holloways are a four-piece indie-rock band from North London.-Formation:David Jackson and Bryn Fowler established the beginnings of the band, finding Rob Skipper at a local live music venue. They would meet later to jam together, playing in future drummer Dave Danger's room...
and The Rumble Strips
The Rumble Strips
The Rumble Strips are an English band from Tavistock, Devon. The band take their name from Rumble Strips, which are small, continuous lines of bumps along the edge of a road. Having known each other since childhood, a precise conception date for the band doesn't really exist. The current line-up...
had broken down. 34 other bands also played the event including tribute act, The Underground Jam and local bands such as Rocketfox, The Lafontaines
The Lafontaines
The LaFontaines are a 5-piece, rap rock band from Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. Currently they are a local unsigned band who have recently been gaining publicity from many different media sources including: The Herald, The Times, and BBC Radio Scotland.-History:It is unknown when the...
, The Down & Outs, The Jackanoorys, Station Sound, The Seventeenth Century and Opportunity Club
The event turned out to be a much greater success than anticipated, attracting over 6000 people on the day and raising £2500 for Oxfam, making it the largest Oxjam ever at that point in time.
Additionally the event was seen a success by the local community and police force and heralded as a "modern take on the gala day". Despite there being a large number of people on site along with a licenced bar, there was no incidents in the park.
Planning
After the overwhelming success of the 2008 festival, there was demand to stage it as an annual event. Plans were put in place in late 2008 and the decision was made to keep the event in Belhaven Park despite the inevitable increase in size off the event.At an early stage management of local establishment The Commercial Hotel got on board as a main sponsor of the event, handling the bars and catering.
Feedback suggested that the event be kept as to local bands thus keeping the community vibe, although 2008 favourites, The Underground Jam, were invited back to close the event. This led to auditions for the main stage being held with the hope of uncovering some hidden gems in the local community, one band that turned up chancing their luck actually opened the festival. The Foundry Music Lab ran a new stage while Aromas Cafe took over the acoustic tent.
Event
Be in Belhaven 2009 took place on Saturday, 15 August. In addition to the music and funday events there was also a community learning village, fun fair attractions, Dance tent and a chainsaw carver.Over 50 acts performed on 3 stages over the day, raising money for Oxfam and Maggies Centres. The acts included Still Vintage, The Underground Jam, The Lafontaines
The Lafontaines
The LaFontaines are a 5-piece, rap rock band from Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. Currently they are a local unsigned band who have recently been gaining publicity from many different media sources including: The Herald, The Times, and BBC Radio Scotland.-History:It is unknown when the...
, Tempercalm, MakethisRelate
Makethisrelate
MakethisRelate is a three piece alternative rock band from the Glasgow area of Scotland. The band is currently unsigned but has been gaining publicity over the past few years from a variety of influential media sources including: Kerrang!, Rock Sound and Evening Times...
, Dear Stars guitarist Stephen Archieblad's former band Midas, The Jackanoorys, Station Sound, Crossfire
Crossfire
A crossfire is a military term for the siting of weapons so that their arcs of fire overlap. This tactic came to prominence in World War I....
and Annie Stevenson. Wet Wet Wet
Wet Wet Wet
Wet Wet Wet are a Scottish pop rock band that formed in the 1980s. They scored a number of hits in the British charts and around the world. The band is composed of Marti Pellow , Tommy Cunningham , Graeme Clark and Neil Mitchell...
guitarist Graeme Duffin
Graeme Duffin
Graeme Duffin has been the lead guitarist for the Scottish pop band Wet Wet Wet since 1983. However he did not appear in band photographs or interviews. The band were suspected of keeping him hidden for image purposes but it may have been Duffin's own choice due to his stammer...
made a special appearance in the Foundry Music Lab Arena alongside JJ Gilmour, of The Silencers
The Silencers (band)
The Silencers are a Scottish rock band formed in London in 1986 by two ex-members of the post-punk outfit Fingerprintz. Their music is characterized by a melodic blend of pop, folk and traditional Celtic influences...
fame. The event was once again more successful than anticipated as over 10,000 people and went on to raise around £6000 for charity.
Planning
Be in Belhaven returned for a third year in 2010 on the 7th August. Maggies Cancer Centres became the sole beneficiary of the event for the first time. The practical side of the event didn't vary much from the 2009 event other than a bigger bar area and a much larger main stage.Event
Even more act's than before performed at the event, this time around 65. Among these acts were headliners Thee Beatles, a Beatles tribute act, local heroes CrossfireCrossfire
A crossfire is a military term for the siting of weapons so that their arcs of fire overlap. This tactic came to prominence in World War I....
, Leeds boys The Stella Frays, The Lafontaines
The Lafontaines
The LaFontaines are a 5-piece, rap rock band from Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. Currently they are a local unsigned band who have recently been gaining publicity from many different media sources including: The Herald, The Times, and BBC Radio Scotland.-History:It is unknown when the...
, MakethisRelate
Makethisrelate
MakethisRelate is a three piece alternative rock band from the Glasgow area of Scotland. The band is currently unsigned but has been gaining publicity over the past few years from a variety of influential media sources including: Kerrang!, Rock Sound and Evening Times...
, and Vigo Thieves.Wet Wet Wet
Wet Wet Wet
Wet Wet Wet are a Scottish pop rock band that formed in the 1980s. They scored a number of hits in the British charts and around the world. The band is composed of Marti Pellow , Tommy Cunningham , Graeme Clark and Neil Mitchell...
guitarist Graeme Duffin
Graeme Duffin
Graeme Duffin has been the lead guitarist for the Scottish pop band Wet Wet Wet since 1983. However he did not appear in band photographs or interviews. The band were suspected of keeping him hidden for image purposes but it may have been Duffin's own choice due to his stammer...
made a special appearance in the Foundry Music Lab Arena playing with family members under the guise of The Duffins. The event was regarded as a success as around 10,000 people attended the event on the day.
Planning
After three successful years, Be in Belhaven returns to cement its place as North Lanarkshire's biggest annual festival. The event is due to take place on Saturday 13 August.Funding, partners & charities
Funding for the events has been provided by multiple sources including North Lanarkshire Council, The Big Lottery Fund and Municiple Bank.Official partners
- Magnum Sound 2008 - present
- Foundry Music Lab 2008 - present
- North Lanarkshire Council 2008 - present
- The Commercial Hotel 2009 - present