On Saturday 31st August, Linton Summer Sessions once again returned to the Festival Stage at The Alma Inn, with almost 500 people joining us for what was a brilliant afternoon and evening of great live music.  This year we welcomed 7 bands and musicians to join the line-up – one more than previous years.  And we certainly had something for everybody! 
The day kicked off with a very impressive young band called ‘Glasshouse’, headed up by Linton resident Sam Jurkiewicz; these teenagers all study Music at Hereford College of Art, where they met and formed the group.  I think we were all very impressed by their talent – they have bright futures ahead of them! 
Local duos ‘Chocolate Teapot’ from Ross and ‘Rye’ from Gorsley really got us going with some toe tapping pop, rock and folk.  And ‘American Eric and Friends’ do what they do best – got us all up on our feet!  
‘The Other Crowd’ brought a sweet mellowness to the afternoon with their chilled vibe, accompanied by spontaneous guest musicians Tom Hennessy on Sax and Adam Bertenshaw on lead guitar.  The evening then gained a more rocky edge with music from ‘Gainesville’, the excellent Tom Petty tribute band who sounded just awesome.
However the band that really took the festival roof off were Re-Punk’D, with their DEBUT PERFORMANCE!  We felt privileged that Pete and Chris Antonius chose Linton Summer Sessions to showcase their new band, revisiting well known and much-loved Punk and New Wave classics from the 80s.  And what a smash hit they were; they captured the audience with their energy, amazing musical talent and Punk Rock performances.
The whole afternoon was enjoyed enormously by local friends and families; an opportunity to gather and appreciate live music, as well as food from local providers Fabionis Pizzas, Soup-by-T and Linton Village Hall cake team, who always deliver on quality and taste.  And the Alma Bar was well supported too!  
A huge thank-you, as always, to the Events main sponsors – Moat Contracting and Naylor Powell Estate Agents.  And to ALL the volunteers who helped set up the event and worked hard on the day to make it all happen.  It really is a huge team effort.
Following the success of this year’s event we are delighted to announce that we have donated £2000 to charity, including £500 to Parkinsons UK, £400 to Cystic Fibrosis Trust, £300 each to Ross Responders (who supported the event by volunteering their services for the day to ensure everyone stayed safe), Alzheimer's Research, MacMillan Cancer support, plus donations to local organisations: Linton Village Hall and Linton Brownies.  
We sincerely hope to be able to do it all again next year and hope you’ll join us!  

Gemma Evans and Mike Bertenshaw