Friday 14 - Sunday 16, April 2006


Eddie Weekend is a Success

Courtesy Sarah Singleton - Hundreds of rock-n-roll fans descended on Chippenham over the weekend for a celebration of the life and music of Eddie Cochran.

The Cherished Memories Weekender, organised by a Chippenham team advised by former festival head John Knight, took place at the Olympiad from Friday to Sunday and featured a host of rock-n-roll bands from Britain and abroad.

It was time for fans to dust off their drainpipes and perfect their quiffs to get ready for three days of 1950's nostalgia to commemorate the death of Eddie Cochran, who died after a car crash in Chippenham on Rowden Hill in 1960.

Mr Knight admitted the numbers attending were not as high as he would have liked, but reckoned around 1200 to 1500 people came long over the three-day event.

They also raised enough money from ticket sales to cover costs and he said they were keen to organise another event next year.

"It was excellent," he said. "A lot of people who used to come to the event turned up and everyone was pleased with the way it went.

"It was a gamble holding it over the Easter weekend because a lot of people are away on holiday or visiting their families.

"That affected attendance levels a little bit, and it meant we had some people just coming for one day rather than the whole weekend.

"I think next year we might hold it on an alternative date in March or April."











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Photos: Rod Pyke