As part of this year’s HI Friends’ Centenary Festival, organising duo Colin Myles and Edd Stonham are back bigger and better than before – with two sensational events guaranteed to make you want to stay local this June. Amanda Borrill reveals what’s in store!
Slotted in amongst the jam packed five day charity Centenary Festival being organised by HI Friends this summer, sit two events with ‘great night out’ stamped all over them. Hosted by serial organisers and best mates Colin Myles and Edd Stonham, the two of them are pulling out all the stops to make sure our community has a night to remember with all proceeds donated to HI Friends – our village wellbeing charity.
The festival runs from Weds 24 to Sunday 28 June and includes a range of events aimed at all ages and interests.
Cheap laughs for all!
Kicking things off for Colin and Edd on Thursday 25 is Custard Comedy. This over-18s-only event sees top names dropping in to Histon & Impington for one night only and promises a whole lot of laughter at a very reasonable price. Headlined by award nominated comedian Shappi Khorsandi – I’m a Celebrity, Mock the Week and Live at the Apollo to name just a few – and supported by Paul Tonkinson, Jules O’Brian and Ben Van der Velde, three hours of top drawer comedy comfortably located in a large marquee at our village recreation ground will cost you just £18 per ticket.
“We have an amazing treat lined up”, Colin enthuses “two big name headliners are coming to the village in Shappi and Paul with two amazing support acts. We spent a lot of time working with Rob from Custard Comedy picking all the acts and reckon this is something that will go down really well. I am incredibly excited Shappi is going to be here.”
To ease the night along you’ll find a bar including four real ales and a chiller trailer working to keep the wine, soft drinks and cans of gin + tonic nicely cool – all run by the Histon Beer Festival experts. Food trucks will also be available.
Football crazy
Saturday 27 June sees everything going football crazy with World Cup Fanzone running on the rec from 7pm through until midnight. Marketed as a community focused event, it offers music with local band Pony who promise some crowd-rousing fan favourites ahead of the football; a hog roast at family friendly prices from local village bakery, Ada’s Kitchen; the epic Histon Beer Festival bar and big screen coverage from 10pm of England’s final World Cup qualifier against Panama.
Bring the family, tell your friends! This event promises a fully affordable family focused event. Tickets just £5 per person.
Community fundraising at its best
Whilst fundraising sits at the heart of these events, they are driven by community spirit and a desire to bring everyone together making great memories.
Both Colin and Edd boast a long list of high profile village events in their back catalogue – Histon Beer Festival, HI Friends’ gigs, the Flaming June and Bonfire Burn running events to name just a few – with the lessons learned from each one contributing to enhance the events we all continue to enjoy year after year.
“I love getting involved in these big events”, says Edd. “Especially the technical challenges of putting them on. I have been working with the HI Friends charity for years coordinating events on the technical side.
“When it all comes together”, he reflects, “knowing those attending are having a good time and we are raising much needed funds for the charity – it is a real sense of achievement. The events I especially love doing though are the ones that Colin and myself have put on over the years as these show the full extent of what can be achieved”.
For Colin, the thrill for him most definitely lays in the organising! “Putting on big events is my hobby, maybe even an addiction”, confesses Colin. “Watching friends and people you recognise having an amazing evening makes all the effort you put into it worthwhile. I enjoy putting on an event much more than attending and, when I do go out, I’m a total nightmare thinking ‘I’d have done that this way’ or ‘wow… I must remember that for our next music night'”.
Full details of all events marking 100 years of the Rec can be found at the HI Friends website. Tickets are available now for all events and can also be booked via the HI Friends events pages. Keep a look out also on HI HUB What’s On for details of all events across the community this summer.
READ ALSO: Howzat – cricketing legends hit the rec and Five days of celebrations planned for rec centenary
