Southbourne Revival a huge success

Southbourne Revival featured live music, stalls and refreshments and was based in Fisherman’s Walk.

Visitors soaked up the sunshine and enjoyed upbeat, rock ‘n’ roll music on Saturday. There was a more laid-back jazz and acoustic line-up on Sunday but organisers still managed to fit in jitterbug jive dance classes.

Dozens of stallholders offered a wide range of goods and there was also a licensed bar.

Many local businesses were represented and a wide range of food and drink stalls meant there was something for everyone.

Children enjoyed taking part in circus skills and there was also a mini-fairground.

Artists also demonstrated their skills at a number of stalls.

The event was a huge boost for the Southbourne area with nearby Southbourne Grove seeing a rise in visitor numbers.

Pubs, cafes and restaurants were full and shops were busy.

Visitors to Fisherman’s Walk were handed discount vouchers for local stores in a bid to encourage people to return to Southbourne to do their shopping.

The event was organised with the help of the community following the cancellation of the hugely popular Shake and Stir Festival, which was due to take place on June 29 and 30.

And it had a true community feel as residents shook off their inhibitions to dance and sing in public.

Organisers of Shake and Stir blamed financial difficulties and “expensive controls” so disappointed local residents decided to plan a different event instead,

A JustGiving page was set up to raise money and scores of people volunteered to help.

Local residents Gordon Fong and Tony Hughes were the main organisers and Gordon said he is thrilled with the way the event went.

“People were really disappointed when Shake and Stir was cancelled so we talked about it for a while before deciding to go for it and plan a different event instead,” said Gordon.

“We are really pleased with the number of people who have attended and it was lovely to see them all dancing to the music.”