The fifth annual Basildon Festival will be taking place next weekend. SALLY KING takes a look at what will be on offer for the family at Wat Tyler Park

The good times will really be rolling this weekend when Basildon enjoys its fifth annual festival.

Wat Tyler Country Park will be transformed into a free family playground featuring six villages devoted to fun activities, with a sneaky bit of education and fundraising thrown in too.

The festival is the biggest event that the council organises all year and there will be plenty for all the family to enjoy there over the weekend.

In the Leisure Village, sponsored by Telewest Active Digital, youngsters can learn the basics of being a rookie lifeguard.

Adults can enjoy displays which include aromatherapy and skincare advice. There will also be games such as inflatable soccer available.

The British Heart Foundation will be leading healthy walks from the village, around the park and back.

The Territorial Army will also be there showing their video conferencing techniques and the London Leopards basketball team will be giving a display of their skills.

The very youngest visitors have not been forgotten, there is a special Children's Village being organised with a soft play area for the under-fives, bouncy castles and clowns.

A pets corner will also give youngsters the chance to meet ponies and rabbits.

Transco is sponsoring the Community Safety Village, and as well as advice on how to detect and deal with gas leaks, visitors can learn about the work of the youth service and the Basildon Lions who work with schools to deter youngsters from experimenting with drugs.

It is here that visitors can learn more about Essex Scouts, the Princes Trust and Basildon Victim Support too.

Cleanaway Pitsea Marshes Trust is sponsoring the Environmental Village, where people can help themselves to the free compost as well as visit displays by wildlife organisations and alternative energy producers. There will be information on solar energy, recycling and the chance to see a visual wormery at work creating new compost.

Older youngsters will be drawn to the New Technology Village sponsored by MSX International. Here they can experiment with virtual reality machines and play networked games on computers.

Here too you can see our award winning website, thisisessex, and a demonstration of Tesco's on-line shopping service.

Local organisations are currently working away organising traditional fete stands for the Tesco-sponsored village where they will be offering entertaining ways of raising cash for their causes.

More than 50 stalls will be presented by charity groups on both days.

In front of the festival village thanks to Tesco there will be the chance to sample Coca Cola, see the trendy new Coca Cola glasses and enter a free prize draw.

Tony the Tiger is expected to be putting in anappearance from Kelloggs and Bass will be promoting one of its new beers.

Tick Steward, the first ever British winner of the World Championship of the British Legends Cars Competition, will be there with a scale replica of a 1930's Ford Cheverolet.

There are also two music stages where live bands will perform throughout the two days and a smaller stage for non-musical entertainment.

See the information panel at the top right of this page to learn when the bands will perform.

From noon each day the Telewest stage will feature entertainment for children, a recycled clothing fashion show, baton twirling and many other non musical events.

Basildon Festival will be in Wat Tyler Country Park, Pitsea on Saturday, July 22 and Sunday 23. The fun starts at 11am both days.

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