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CHANGES...

are taking place at this very moment...

A new name, a new page, a new event; your new festival.

I hadn't quite realized how new until I started working on the changes to the website. Sometimes you can't see wood for trees until someone or something points it out, and I can see more and more "restrictions" of the old system falling away. Things we would like to have done, but couldn't because of work overload, (mainly playing the "games" that are so time & energy consuming when involved with modern red tape and bureaucracy that is associated with obtaining funding for social enterprise and similar organizations). All we have ever wanted to do is run a festival that benefits all sections of the community, and simply pay our way. 

However, there can be NO COMPROMISE ON HEALTH AND SAFETY, which also involves a great deal of work and expense, but we accept that necessity. But just operating as a privately run non profit making organisation, (returning profits as reinvestments into the festival). will save us probably 60% of our previously "wasted" efforts.

As such, we can use that "time" putting the benefits where they should be; in our artistes, businesses, and human creative arts individuals and organizations. Instead of giving employment to dozens of people sitting at desks making decisions about things and people they have no, (there are a few exceptions of course) actual practical knowledge about (or am I being dangerously politically incorrect ?).

Our spectrum of human creative arts now can be very much wider, and include the natural healing arts, and lesser known and understood skills and crafts long lost in this (so called) high speed, high technology  modern world. We have had crystal therapy, aromatherapy, reiki plus a few other natural skills and crafts to do with ecology and nature conservation. But it has been very little in comparison with what we would have liked to have done previously, but now can.

We have always had the policy on stage, that some little girl who wants to sing a song, has equal support and facility we afford a major star. It is just as important that we can publish on site, a poem or story written be an old lady living in the sticks as it is for us to publish a major known writer. This we can also now do, so much so, that within the CYBER FESTIVAL  we need to provide an even wider facility, as we advocate that ALL MUST HAVE AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY. As a large number of the community are children, we will be separating as sections, the children's area from the adult, with denied access to the adult area by children through an entry procedure. (this is for a two fold reason), in that adults may not want to view schools / children's material , and it protects children from seeing anything that could be seen as "adult" (this could be occasional lyrics from a song, art or poetry).

Which brings us to standards.

It is important that everything is "vetted" in the same way as we always audition bands, and as an agency, it would not go down too well if we sent a punk band to do a gig in an old folks home (on the other hand, knowing a few old folk ?), but you know what I mean. 

We do not intend to involve ourselves in contracts through the agency, or receive payment from prospective "venuees".  We will expect a small percentage to be agreed between ourselves and artistes,  (as we facilitated the engagement), and expect the agreement fulfilled as a point of honour, (several people have pointed out that we could be short changed). Should this  happen, the people involved would not be the sort of people we want in our team anyway, so no great loss for us.

In a similar way, any sales of albums, artworks or writings etc from the website, we would expect a small agreed percentage, in the normal way. 

As regards to training sessions, courses, lessons etc. Our workshop and course leaders have had the requisite police checks carried out when working with children or disadvantaged young people.

MORE SOON...J.P.