AN independent festival based in Little Somerford are helping support the vulnerable in north Wiltshire.

The team behind Fieldview Festival, who give their surplus profits to good causes every year, handed over a cheque for £1,000 to Malmesbury-based charity HEALS.

Over the years the festival, known fondly as the ‘biggest little festival in Wiltshire’, has raised more than £24,000 for good causes since it started 10 years ago.

This year they did an online poll with their supporters to decide which local charity to support with a slice of their profits, which HEALS won overwhelmingly.

Speaking about their donation to HEALS, Elliott Greenman of Fieldview Festival, said: “We like to think we are rightly selective on which charities we donate to, so when HEALS came out on top, we decided to look further into what they do.

“We are passionate about community and were impressed by the vital role HEALS are playing in supporting their community in times of need.

“Discussions were held with HEALS to identify areas of support where our donation would have the most benefit and advocacy support was identified as a high priority. We found that £1,000 would support advocacy.

“An advocate works with service users in need and supports them to make the right steps to help themselves out of their current situation.

“In the times of cuts, public services are at a bare minimum, so to be able to support a charity in providing outreach to the local community is an amazing opportunity.

“We always ensure that we know what the charity plans to do with our donations. It provides a better connection between donor and charity.”

The cheque was handed over to Cllr Gavin Grant, chairman of HEALS, at a recent charity screening of I, Daniel Blake, hosted by the charity.

Speaking after the presentation, Cllr Grant said they were “delighted” that Fieldview chose to support them and their advocacy work.

He continued: “A huge thank you to everyone who came and supported the charity screening of Ken Loach's award winning film I, Daniel Blake, a powerful story of how a personal disaster and inability to cope with welfare bureaucracy can lead to tragedy.

“The film characters are fictional, but in our work at Heals, we see that much of the film's account is a reality.”

For more information on the charitable work Fieldview Festival does, visit fieldviewfestival.co.uk

For more on HEALS, visit healsmalmesbury.com