Questions and Answers
- What is ‘Lafrowda’?
- Lafrowda is the ancient name for the church lands where St Just in Penwith stands today. More recently, it has come to stand for community co-operation, celebrating local heritage, and a showcase for some of the finest artistic, theatrical and musical talent around.
- How long has Lafrowda existed?
- 2008 was the 12th Lafrowda Day and the 13th anniversary of the first St Just Music Festival.
- When does Lafrowda Day take place and what happens?
- Lafrowda Day is always the third Saturday in July. In 2009 it will be Saturday 18th July. The roads are closed, the decorations go up. From hip hop to harmony, from folk to funk, we’ve twelve hours of free entertainment to suit every taste and, of course, three spectacular processions. All this, and street performers, stalls, refreshments, bouncy castles, and a great family-friendly atmosphere.
- How much does Lafrowda Day cost?
- Once again we’re doing it all - the workshop programmes, the festival week and the big day for under £20,000. We are fortunate to have a very generous community, and benefit from hundreds of hours of volunteer time. Approximately half our expenditure goes on the educational programme run by the Lafrowda Trust. The remainder is for the festival and covers performers’ fees, administration, printing, security, insurance, licences, staging, etc. This year we have had £1000 in match funding from Arts Council England via the Penwith Festivals Partnership to enable us to fund the street entertainment.We were also grateful to Awards for All who gave us a grant to fund our greatly expanded workshop programme. Surplus from the festival in turn is donated to the Trust to continue and develop our arts education programmes.
- Where does the money come from?
- We have funding from St Just Town Council, Penwith District Council, and local sponsors and advertisers, supplemented by street collections, fees from stall-holders, fundraising events and in-kind donations. The Lafrowda Trust receives funding from surplus income from previous festivals, contributions from the schools, grants and donations.
- What is the Lafrowda Trust?
- The Lafrowda Trust is a registered charity whose objects are to advance education in art and culture in particular, but not exclusively, in the St Just area. We run educational workshops in which the processional sculptures, banners and lanterns are made, where local schools and community groups work with professional artists.
- What happens during Festival Week?
- Lafrowda provides an opportunity for local groups to showcase the wealth of creative talent in the St Just area. A wide range of organisations take part and there is something happening every day. See the festival pages for details of this year’s programme as they become available.
- Who runs the Lafrowda Festival/Lafrowda Day?
- The Festival is run by a sub-committee of the Lafrowda Trust. The chair of the Trustees and the organising committee is Kevin Godden. We have a core team of around ten, supported by scores of volunteers and well-wishers. The festival is run in close consultation with relevant local authorities.
- Where do I get further information?
- Media enquiries - Kevin Godden: press@lafrowda-festival.co.uk
General enquiries - email to info@lafrowda-festival.co.uk
- See the contacts page for further details.
