SMALL Festival Wows to Win £2000 of Wristbands

Dubbed CockRock by its fans, Cockermouth Rock festival has been gifted £2000 worth of accreditation by ID&C, the UK’s leading security wristband supplier, as winner of the company’s Grass Roots Festival Competition.

Set in the Lake District and taking place between the 20-22 July, the 5000 capacity event stood-out amongst 42 other festivals, impressing ID&C with its dedication to charity, support for their local music scene and devotion to the experience of its fans.

CockRock festival chairman, Clint Stamper was delighted to hear they had won the competition: “We’re chuffed to receive the recognition and this kind of financial contribution is worth its weight in gold!”.

“We always aim to give fans a value-for-money-experience, from the line-up to the choice of local ales available. Securing the site with a first class accreditation suite will be a welcomed addition to both organisers and fans.” Adds Stamper.

ID&C’s Steve Daly says, “We launched the competition to give something back to organisers who embody a grass roots ethos. Reading the entries reconfirmed our feelings that the festival industry is thriving, and full of enthusiastic people driven by a passion for live music experiences.”

Originally a barbecue fund-raiser on a friend's farm, CockRock has since donated over £44k for the Cumbrian Mountain Rescue and Air Ambulance services, explains Stamper:

“In the first year, I borrowed a mate’s farm and ran a barbecue fund-raiser. A couple of local bands offered to provide some music and before we knew it, over 400 people showed up. The rest is history.”

Stamper, a college tutor by day, runs the festival alongside 11 other committee members, with extra help from local volunteers during the event. The non-profit and self-penned ‘recyclable festival’ builds most of its equipment, storing and loaning it out to other events throughout the year. “We’re definitely a thrifty festival. Our 'DIY festival' approach allows to make make improvements in other areas like safety, toilets and the line-up” says Stamper.

It hasn’t always been plain sailing for CockRock though. The festival faced cancellation in 2010 when storms flattened the site on the eve of opening, but hundreds of fans showed up offering to re-build the festival following a plea for help on a local radio station.

“I would have given up if it wasn’t for the people of Cockermouth working selflessly through the night rebuilding stages and picking up portable toilets. By some miracle, the Council gave the green light and we opened just an hour later than planned!” says Stamper.

ID&C has worked with over 5000 festivals, from the relatively small LeeFest in South London to the mammoth Glastonbury and Coachella.

The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) recently announced that independent festivals contributed a whopping £222m to the UK economy in 2011. And with the likes of Glastonbury and the Big Chill taking a break this year, some of the smaller festivals will hope to fill the void for thousands of music fans looking for an alternative this summer.

Now in its eighth year, CockRock 2012 will be headlined by recent chart-topper Tinchy Stryder and legendary New Yorkers, the Fun Lovin Criminals.

Committed to its fans; Stamper states that although CockRock has the capacity to expand, their focus remains on the experience it can offer its tight-knit community. “I can’t believe we made it this far, but as long as we’re wanted, CockRock will continue.”

About ID&C Ltd

ID&C are the UKs leading security wristband and accreditation provider to the festival and event industry.

The Grass Roots Festival Competition ran from April 1^st to May 1^st and was designed to reward smaller festivals, portraying a ‘grass roots’ ethos with a financial boost and the chance to use a professional wristband and accreditation solution.

With over 17 years experience in the live event industry, the company continues to with festivals of all sizes from the 1000 capacity LeeFest to the mammoth Glastonbury Festival.

ID&C have recently acquired a global customer-base after pioneering RFID wristbands amongst the festival industry. Involved in the first ever cashless festival trials and the world’s first contactless access control solution at Coachella Festival.