Stansfield music festival will bring folk to the pub

The licensee at the Stansfield Compasses is hoping the first ever festival of folk, blues and bluegrass music at the pub will be the first of many more to come.

CompassFest 15 is the brainchild of Tony Hook, the pub’s licensee of the past year and a man of many talents in the world of the hospitality businesses.

The 55-year-old has made the most of the connections he has had made at the Ely Folk Festival - where he has cooked the food for the green room for a number of years - to bring acts such as Adrian Nation, The Sigma Collective and Claudia Marcel to the pub for the two day festival on Saturday (Aug 29) and Sunday, from 4pm each day.

Although it is the first festival he has held at the pub Tony hopes it is something that will take off.

“I’ve had a couple of individuals come in and play their guitars but nothing very big. I’m trying to grow it organically. Hopefully it will grow and grow and in a couple of years time we will have a proper Stansfield musicfest.”

Tony is not just the licensee of the pub, which is owned by Phil Dennis, owner of the neighbouring Bayments Farm, he is also a master brewer, having brewed full-time for a number of years and at one time been the holder of the CAMRA Best Pub in Cambridgeshire title, which he earned during his ten year tenure at The Ship Inn in Brandon Creek.

He has brewed a pale ale especially for the weekend and called it the Stansfield Festival Ale. His micro-brewery is called Stansfield Beers.

Tony is a trained chef and adventurous caterer who likes to produce meals for customers from ‘whatever I have in my fridge’ and his skills will be used for what he has termed an ‘interesting’ barbecue during the festival on Sunday - where crocodile and kangaroo, and perhaps zebra will all be on the menu.

Camping is available during the festival, as are caravan pitches. Entry is free.