> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.ilesanglo-normandes.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # VEF 50: 'I discovered the joy of how anarchy works organically' Guernsey's first Vale Earth Fair – as told by those who made it happen - URL: https://www.ilesanglo-normandes.com/festivals-vef-50-i-discovered-the-joy-of-how-anarchy-works-organically-guernseys-first-vale-earth-fair-as-told-by-those-who-made-it-happen/ - Published: 2026-08-27T10:32:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-28T05:41:40.000Z - Description: Part I: "We reckon 2,000 people turned up. It was huge." - Author: îles - Tags: Guernesey, #ellen, Jèrri, Guernési, VEF 50 ### By mid-afternoon on Sunday 8 August 1976, islanders had begun arriving at the Vale Castle for the very first Festival of Folk, Country & Rock Music, later reborn as the [Vale Earth Fair](https://www.valeearthfair.org/?ref=ilesanglo-normandes.com). ### As volunteers and bands celebrate the 50th festival, with headliners The Orb and The Dynamics, alongside musicians from across the islands of Guernsey, Jersey and Sark, members of the original organising collective tell the story of how it all started. --- The origin story of Guernsey's Vale Earth Fair was, in the true spirit of the Seventies, hazy to say the least. There was the Isle of Wight festival in 1968, Woodstock in 1969, Glastonbury in 1970\. With so many free festivals happening at the time, Errol Groves (my father), who'd moved to Guernsey from the North of Ireland in the late 60s, started thinking about starting an event in the island. In 1974, he and Carolyn Myryam (my mum) were part of the infamous Windsor free festival, where they received a rather rude awakening. "It was early in the morning, the tent was suddenly unzipped and this policeman got in and said: ‘You’re busted, out!’" Up until then the festival was a mix of "lively music, natural foods, warm and friendly people," as Carolyn recalls. "It was very much the hippie thing. People just wanted freedom to have the music they wanted, in the way they wanted and dress the way they wanted." --- Being able to trace the full story of the first festival, turned up in Errol's papers, following his death from cancer in 2019\. A nondescript, spiral-bound shorthand notebook, supplied for the Public Service HMSO — Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. Inside: drafts of letters, a hitch-hiking sign for the A37, another for the M6, a famous Che Guevara quote… And then, a list of names: Rising Moon, Tempus, Bob Delbridge, B.J.B.J., Paul Perrio, Gulliver, Sam & Huck… beneath the heading 'FAFOFCARM'. First Annual Festival of Folk, Country and Rock Music. A few pages on, another list — this time with roles allocated: stage management, publicity, finances and food. It is a list of the very first festival volunteers, fifty summers ago. --- ### *"We reckon more than 2,000 people turned up. It was huge."* Mike Coughlin,originalstage manager Mike Coughlin was the filmmaker behind Lumphammer Promotions, a group of friends who made a spoof House of Hammer horror film on the beach, organised charity concerts, a fast, and would form the first festival collective. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Vale-Earth-Fayre-Mike-Coughlin---after-his-haircut-.jpg) Mike Coughlin ©Andy Chauvel *"I was doing casual greenhouse work, from October to about the end of May. Then I had most of the summer off. Errol was running a deck chair concession at L’Erée. I’d do a bit of work in the morning picking tomatoes, then I’d go and join him, spend the day on the beach and other people would join us.* *We'd go on to one of the music venues to listen to one of the bands. We had two transit vans, I don't know who owned them, we used to drive them to a beach, put them back-to-back and have a party in these two transits. I'd get home at one or two in the morning.* *It was a fabulous summer, the best summer you could have as a young man. And that was the culmination, that day. I've been lucky, I've had a great life, but that festival is still one of the highlights, even after all this time."* > There were some strange, serendipitous moments... *"The late Sixties and Seventies were very much alternative. We joined the Conservation Society in 1973\. We'd organised various events to raise money for charity – concerts, a sponsored fast and a cycle ride, all sorts of things. Errol was the instigator of all that, he was a fabulous instigator. But Errol reckoned we should just get people together and have a gathering, and it grew from that.* *We decided on a festival. Errol liaised with all the bands and they just wanted to play, they were perfectly happy to do it for nothing, so we didn't charge anyone anything.* *There were some strange, serendipitous moments. It was around 11am, we were halfway building the stage and realised we didn't have any lighting. And it was going on until 11 o'clock at night, which shows how organised we were!* *But out of nowhere, this young man appears, none of us knew him. He said, ‘I've got some lighting, I'll go and get it.’ So off he went, came back in the van with stage lighting. Then afterwards, when it was all over, he disappeared.* > *But out of nowhere, this young man appears, none of us knew him. He said, ‘I've got some lighting, I'll go and get it.’ So off he went, came back in the van with stage lighting. Then afterwards, when it was all over, he disappeared.* *We fly posted all over the island, which would be highly illegal now, but people did things like that in those days. But it worked, because we got people from everywhere. Word of mouth, that was all. We reckon 2,000 people turned up. It was huge.* *We informed the police and they said, ‘Okay, but you've got to stop at 11pm.’ We thought there'd be a police presence, but one policeman turned up at the end to make sure we'd stopped and then went away again. So we had no officialdom, no risk assessments, no health and safety, nothing like that. We just did it!* *I'd been to many concerts and events that were badly organised and I hated it, because you had interminable delays if musicians were late or ages changing between bands. I thought, ‘We're not having that.’ I worked it all out and it worked perfectly, I must say. The bands were very cooperative."* > I just thought he had it all in his head, you know? *"There was one misunderstanding with one band, which was unfortunate. Rising Moon were given the wrong start time, so they went on late and came off early. They didn't like that, but I wasn't having any disruption to my timetable! But Errol sorted it out, which is what one of his main roles was, liaising and getting on with people. He was so good at that.* *There was a blues trio called Axis. They weren't scheduled to play; they’d turned up to watch. We had a planned interval of 45 minutes and Errol said, ‘Why don't you play?’ So they borrowed gear and did a fabulous improvised blues set for three quarters of an hour. That was the highlight for me, but they were all good bands.* > *It was a magic day, one of those days where everything comes together and everything falls into place easily. It was all cooperative. There was no hierarchy or anything like that.* *It was a magic day, one of those days where everything comes together and everything falls into place easily. It was all cooperative. There was no hierarchy or anything like that. No-one was in charge of anything. We just did what needed to be done. I never knew Errol wrote anything down. He never appeared to write anything down, I just thought he had it all in his head, you know? So that's a revelation that he had a* [*notebook!*](https://www.ilesanglo-normandes.com/festivals-vef-50-the-day-belongs-to-everyone-notes-on-the-first-vale-earth-fair-1976-by-the-late-errol-groves/) *It was just the ethos of the times, anti-corporate. We wanted things to work for us and for the people, not to make money, not for profit. So we were somewhat unusual for Guernsey. But in London, around the mainland, it wouldn't have been that unusual. We had a collection bucket. I can't remember the figure, but we did pretty well.* *I knew the Earth Fair had gone on a few times, I can’t believe it’s been going fifty years. That’s a wonderful legacy of Errol's, encompassing much of what he believed in and lived for."* Mike left Guernsey in October 1978 to live in London. He worked as a tube driver for 30 years, before retiring to the Isle of Wight with his wife, Judy. A saxophonist, he's involved in the [Isle of Wight Jazz Weekend](https://www.iwjazzweekend.co.uk/?ref=iles-anglo-normandes.ghost.io), held every September. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/IMG_20260810_142454_4-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Errol-Groves-on-the-beach--summer--76-1.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Errol-Groves-renting-out-deckchairs-for-25-pence--summer-1976-2.JPG) **"Errol was running a deck chair concession at L’Erée. I’d do a bit of work in the morning picking tomatoes, then I’d go and join him, spend the day on the beach and other people would join us." Mike Coughlin* ### *"I discovered the joy of how anarchy works organically – it was brilliant!"* ### Mark Windsor, poster designer Mark Windsor, Errol Groves’ brother-in-law, was also involved in Lumphammer Promotions, the group who had organised a fundraising fast and Feed the Hungry concert before working on the festival. Today a photographer, writer, campaigner and nurse, Mark has lived in Guernsey most his life and has attended numerous Vale Earth Fairs across five decades. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Program-1976-1.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/The-1st-Festival---poster-.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/use-thus-one.jpg) The first festival program, the first poster and the Feed the Hungry concert at Little Theatre. (left to right) Rob, Les Dorey, Nick Windsor, Neil de Kooker, Brass, Mark Windsor, Errol Groves, Clive, Carolyn Myryam & Andy Chauvel *"I don’t remember me being particularly involved in any of the organising at all, I just remember being an add-on, the younger sibling. Errol was good at pulling ideas from different people, getting the best out of people, he didn’t look like he was organising it - but he was organising it. He was pulling together the people that did it, you didn’t always know, it’s a talent.* *Typical of Errol, I felt I should be doing something but not up to it and Errol was just very inclusive, so I ended up doing the first poster. The figure is a wizard-type figure, hand-drawn, a Gandalf-type figure, probably unconsciously influenced by Lord of the Rings. So he is in the air above the Vale Castle, which was a simplified picture of the castle with a winding path, with a lump hammer. It was a bearded man with long hair, so in my mind it was Errol!* > *That first VEF, I honestly think I was beside myself with worry. Somebody had to worry*! *The power for the first one came up from one 3-pin plug and a long cable from a building yard below that was full of timber and combustible things. We were powering the speakers, the sound system was underpowered, so when the band came on, the lights went out, or they flickered.* *That first VEF, I honestly think I was beside myself with worry. Somebody had to worry*! *I thought it was all going to go pear-shaped; I was worrying about it all the time. I wasn’t in control of it and, as far as I could see, no-one was in control of it! That’s how it came across to me. And I thought ‘Christ, nothing’s organised’ and then I discovered the joy of how anarchy works organically, it was brilliant.* > *Good will is everything isn’t it? it brings people together to share solidarity and to have fun.* *Good will is everything isn’t it? That’s always been the basis, the motivation is it’s done with good will, with good intentions and embraces charity and causes and it brings people together to share solidarity and to have fun.* *It’s a great family day but in the evening I remember a couple of ones where people were a bit leery and I thought 'this is not what it’s supposed to be about,' people being less mindful and more mindless, and when that involves alcohol, by the evening, it wasn’t always a peaceful vibe. The last few years, I’ve not felt that at all, but I haven't stayed late.* *What Errol has in his notes (on the first festival) what he was visualising there, it’s become that. It didn’t happen then. That was the germ. It was done on a shoestring, with one plug. Everything that was there, in his heart, has come to fruition."* --- ### *"I remember saying ‘stop you can't play any more’, because we were scared of the police coming up"* Tony Brassell, Count Brass, MC [Tony Brassell](http://www.tonybrassell.co.uk/?ref=ilesanglo-normandes.com) was working at the States of Guernsey's Board of Administration and got involved with Lumphammer Promotions through the music scene. Now retired in Sunderland, with family in Guernsey, he is writing his 11th book, and produces a yearly Guide to Guernsey, which features The Vale Earth Fair. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Vale-Earth-Fayre-Tony-Brassel-1.jpg) MC Count Brass, Tony Brassell ©Andy Chauvel *"My big memory of '76 was horrendous because the cliffs burnt. One of my job titles was Deputy Beaches and Cliff Paths Inspector, would you believe? My boss, a guy called Ian McEwan went on holiday the day the cliffs caught fire. When he came back, he told me he could see the fires burning as he was taking off in the aeroplane. So I was almost on my own trying to sort out all the warning signage. On the cliffs where you'd have gorse on both sides, now there was just a sheer drop on one side, which nobody realised was there! There were dead animals everywhere on the path. It was absolutely horrendous. It took me weeks and weeks till he came back.* > *My boss could see the fires burning as he was taking off in the aeroplane.* *And then there was the Vale Earth Fair, though it wasn't called that at that time. Because the Board of Administration administered all the States properties the Vale Castle was under my remit. So we took it to the Board, doing all the stuff Errol would have hated, having to go to Committee meetings and getting permission to use it. Errol and I were almost opposites, obviously he was anti-establishment and I was going towards the establishment, though I still had the long hair.* *My Board at the time, their average age would have been about 70 or 75\. They all knew me as I was usually the minute-taker for all the committee meetings.* *Norman Le Cheminant was the Chief Officer, if I remember rightly. A brilliant man. Scary, mind. And Mr Rowe or Mr Dorey or 'Sir' as it was in those days. Nice people, I remember, but nothing like the sort of group I was in at the time trying to organise this concert!* *The Board told us we needed insurance. So I did quite a bit of work finding insurance cover, trying to tap into the network of people we had. It was about 20 quid, something exorbitant like that! And eventually we got the permission to hold the concert.* *One of the weirdest things is Barry Collenette's article talks about how on the day Count Brass walks onto the stage and that's when it started. I have no recollection of that whatsoever. ‘Oh my God, did I?’ I can't believe I did that. I would be one of these people who just volunteered myself because I'm a bit daft like that. I’d been a DJ, hence Count Brass, and played in a few bands, we'd organised a couple of concerts, Feed the Hungry was one at the Little Theatre. I did a couple of sets in between while the bands were changing over. But if I hadn't read that article, I wouldn't have ever thought I would have gone on that stage, I had no memory of that whatsoever. Maybe a few drinks had been drunk!* *I probably just went on and introduced Errol, he came forward and talked about the causes we were supporting. Everything we ever did was always for charity.* > *Everything we ever did was always for charity.* *I remember it all being chill on the day, anything to do with Errol would have been relaxed that way, no chance for stress. I was the one running around doing the stressing bit, because part of me thinks if it had been anybody else asking, the Board of Administration probably wouldn't have given us the Vale Castle. But they knew me and it was sort of like; ‘you promise this is going to be alright’ so the pressure was on me how it went and that it finished when it was supposed to. Otherwise when I went into work the next week I was going to get a lot of bother - probably my job was on the line, but it worked!* > *when I went into work the next week I was going to get a lot of bother - probably my job was on the line, but it worked!* *We had to get out by 11 o'clock, we were given the time to stop the band. I remember saying; ‘Stop you can't play any more’ ‘stop it!’ because we were scared of the police coming up and the neighbours complaining, because it would have messed it up for future years.* *I was just in the right place at the right time, really. I knew the guys at the States Works Department as well. We put all the bins out and the next day going around clearing it all up was quite a lot of work. A few hundred people at a castle all having fun is going to leave quite a bit of rubbish, especially it was dark when they left. But we packed it all up, cleaned it all up.* *I always liked the Vale Castle, it's one of my favourite places in Guernsey. It's got so much history to it. I do go back sometimes and walk around the top of it and think; 'Oh yeah, that's where the stage was!'"* The 50th Vale Earth Fair takes place Sunday 30th August. [Tickets | Vale Earth FairGet your tickets for Vale Earth Fair 2026 at Vale Castle, Guernsey. A day of live music where every ticket helps raise money for charity.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/icon/favicon-647c7ec0-6af7-4666-95b1-8847d0fce8d2.ico)Vale Earth Fair![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/thumbnail/band-88cfd844-54ef-4642-8800-f00d9e32d4ea.jpg)](https://valeearthfair.org/tickets?ref=ilesanglo-normandes.com) [VEF 50: “The day belongs to everyone” notes on the first Vale Earth Fair, 1976, by the late Errol Groves.“The music scene can never have been better here in Guernsey”![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/icon/ILES-ANGLO-NORMANDES-UPDATED-4-f75483f0-69cc-47e4-b28d-c290d0cd49e8.png)îles anglo-normandesîles![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/thumbnail/Between-1000-to-3000-people-turned-up-to-the-Vale-Castle-on-Aug.-8--1976-2-805dab6a-7893-4bab-a8d7-eea5347c614e.JPG)](https://www.ilesanglo-normandes.com/festivals-vef-50-the-day-belongs-to-everyone-notes-on-the-first-vale-earth-fair-1976-by-the-late-errol-groves/) --- > **Interviews have been shortened and edited for clarity: recollections may vary, it was the 1970s!** ## Sign up for îles anglo-normandes Guernesey, Jersey, Aurigny, Sercq, Herm Subscribe Email sent! 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