A MUSIC festival which raises money for a charity set up in memory of an Ashwell landlady is ready for its second year.

ClaireFest last year rocked crowds in the village but has moved to Stevenage in a bid to attract a bigger crowd and escape from the elements.

The event raises money for the Claire Stanley Trust, which secures cash for cancer research after its namesake lost her battle with the disease in 2010.

Darrell Stanley, Claire’s husband and charity organiser, said: “She was really into music and that is one of the reasons we do this.

“We had a band years ago and we did local gigs. I have a studio and help to record smaller bands and help them.

“She used to help people, get them jobs and then follow it up. It’s a good thing to do in her memory.”

Claire and Darrell used to run The Three Tuns, in Ashwell, and the 46-year-old has praised villagers for supporting the charity.

This year the Stevenage Arts and Leisure Centre hosts the event on September 1 with AC/DC tribute band Live Wire headlining. They are joined by Black Dog, Scarlett Fever and eight other artists.

Although the festival will not be held in the village this year, Mr Stanley, who pays for the event out of his own pocket, told the Crow the plan is to eventually return it to its roots.

“This year we hope to raise �10,000 from the event. Last year we didn’t raise as much money because we were setting it up and we need to grow it,” he said

“The field in Ashwell will hold 50,000 people so we want to grow it quite a bit further, raising the money so we can take the festival back to the village.”

Tickets and more information is available from www.clairefest.org