Baughurst garden 'Nashfest' raises £3,000 for charity

Some 300 tickets were sold for Nashfest, which was held in villager Caroline Nash’s garden, and the event went without a hitch, in fine weather.
Performers had the crowd up and on their feet, singing and dancing, including the first on stage, 16-year-old Beth Atkinson, who had been voted Young Singer Songwriter of 2013 by BBC radio Berkshire.
Next up was Bracknell singer, Carly Ward, followed by singer and keyboard player olland Bending.
The children also had a chance to let off steam on a bouncy castle and in a paddling pool.
At 6pm, Tadley group the Pot Bellied Chimps (pictured above) took to the stage to thunderous applause, performing sing-a-long cover songs.
Young Australian singer/acoustic guitar player Kate Fuller (pictured) performed her own compositions while the Chimps took a break.
They then swung back into several encores, before the festival closed, at mid-night, when some people found their way to the tents they had set up in a field at the back of the house, where the party continued with bongos and guitars playing until the early hours.
Jointly organised by Mrs Nash and Caroline Wyatt, the proceeds of the event are to be split between St Michael’s Hospice in Basingstoke and to fund a trek by Mrs Wyatt to Jordan in October to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.
Last year Mrs Wyatt walked the Great Wall of China in aid of the charity.
Mrs Nash said: “I do a lot of voluntary work at the hospice, after losing my sister nine years ago to breast cancer, and my good friend Lorna died in the hospice a few years ago.”
Mrs Nash thanked all those involved in the fundraiser, including her husband Rob, who built the stage, supplied a backdrop, banners and T-shirts, and said that they had received a stream of thank you messages on Monday.
“The question that everyone keeps asking is: ‘Same again next year?’” said Mrs Nash, adding that it was a case of “Watch this space”.