REVIEW BY JG.

BEWDLEY'S 25th Festival closed in grand style on Saturday night. Under the canopy of the Tree Tops Pavilion at the West Midlands Safari Park, nearly 400 members and friends danced the night away to the retro sounds of the Mike Sanchez’s Band and the happy-memories tracks of a disc jockey.

Despite ashen faces earned during a very hard week of making the festival run smoothly, the committee members and close supporters were able to finally let their hair down and let the venue-professionals take the strain.

The atmosphere was one of a friendly crush in which queues at the bar were eased with catch-up chat and reminiscences not just of the preceding week but – certainly around me – of the misty years going back to 1988.

That was aided by a giant TV screen displaying Colin Hill’s candid camera photos of the shows that some of us might have more difficulty than others in remembering.

I realised I’d slipped effortlessly into the grumpy-old-man category when I found little entertaining in what was described as a burlesque act that, among other things, involved a rather well-built lady bursting the balloons that concealed a frame of ample proportions.

That didn’t detract too much from what was a pleasant evening where the membership could reflect on yet another job well done.

Now the planning starts for year 26!