OVERFLOW parking is being made available as Tenbury gears itself for an influx of music fans this weekend.

Extra spaces will be provided on the grass at Palmers Meadow to help accommodate up to 1,500 people expected in town for the first ever Tenbury Music Festival.

The music enthusiasts from all over the region and other parts of the country will be in town for what could be Tenbury’s busiest and most important weekend of the year.

Traders are hoping that the two days will bring a boost to the town and set the tills ringing.

Sarah Thompson, secretary of the Tenbury Chamber of Trade, believes it is hard to predict how much impact the music festival will have.

“It is the first one so we do not know but hopefully it will bring more business,” she said.

“The impact of the various festivals is difficult to forecast because so much depends upon the weather and the type of people that attend.

“If they just come for the festival then it will not make too much difference but if they come into the town then that will help.”

The first ever Tenbury Music Festival, that will take place on the Burgage on Saturday, has been organised by a group of local music enthusiasts and volunteers.

The sponsors include David Wilson Homes which has built a new Tenbury View estate on the edge of town.

Money from the Big Lottery Fund has made the music festival possible with the support of other sponsors. It is intended that the festival will make a donation to the Tenbury Swimming Pool.

The day after the festival the Burgage will also host the return of the Party In The Park, organised for families by the local police force.

It will leave a challenge for the music festival organisers who have promised to have The Burgage clear in time for the party.

This will not only involve the taking down of the stage and amplification equipment but also the dispersal of music festival fans that have chosen to camp or caravan on the site.

There will be up to 90 camping and caravan pitches available for people who live outside the area but will be coming to Tenbury for the music that will be played throughout the day.

The music festival comes 52 years after the visit of The Beatles to Tenbury. John, Paul, George and Ringo played at the Bridge when they were making their name in April 1963.

At the heart of the festival will be the music with 12 locals bands playing throughout the day.

But there will also be a ‘festival village’ that will include craft stalls, cuisine workshops and a festival market place. Tenbury Scouts will also stage a workshop.

The music festival brings to Tenbury as the headline act Andy Fairweather Low and the Low Riders. Also on the bill will be The Fabulous Bordellos, Pigdaze, Floyd Earl Crow, Robbie Blunt, Mumbo Jumbo, The Sultana Brothers, Hot Climate, Blacks and Blues, Deborah Rose and Grey Wolf.

As well as lottery funding the festival has been supported by a long list of local sponsors emphasising its community credentials.

They include The Mary Portas Trust, Bowketts Supermarket, DHJH Accountants, Blackmore Foundation, Malvern Hills District Council, Councillor Phil Grove, Dyke Ruscoe and Hayes, Orchard Valley Foods, and Frank P Matthews.