A few weeks ago Wildfire Festival announced it was being cancelled for June 2018 - the story we have heard too many times with relation to grass roots music venues, one of rising costs. Every year Wildfire presents a main stage opportunity for around 70-80 emerging rock bands. From past years, many cite Wildfire as the event that got them noticed, and some have had successful journeys since their debut at Wildfire. So we have to put up a fight to secure the future of an event, run by people that are in it for the music, an that plays a crucial role in the broader guitar music ecosystem.

On 23 June, the Saturday when dozens of bands were hoping to play Wildfire, a 12-hour live radio broadcast - the Spirit of Wildfire - will air on meridianfm.com from 10am to 10pm. Run entirely by volunteers, this special show will feature interviews with more than 40 bands and exclusive sessions from 20 more - all bands that have been part of the Wildfire story.

During this broadcast we hope to crowd fund to secure the future of festival. We've set a realistic target given the reach of a small radio station, but the sky is the limit. Saturday 23 June is a day for people, an online community, to come together and bring a good outcome out of some sad news. We can't change the fact Wildfire is cancelled for 2018, but we can secure it's rebirth for 2019. It's about hope, or to quote a song from a Wildfire band - it's creating a 'new dawn' for an important event in the rock music calendar.

Where the raised funds will be and what they will be used for:

The aim is to help secure Wildfire for 2019. If Wildfire confirms its return funds from this crowd fund will be used to support the 2019 event. The Wildfire team have advised the funds would be spent on the following - Marquee hire, PA system for one of the stages, security & license application fees, a contribution towards venue hire and a contribution to the booking of two of the headline acts.

The funds raised will be held in this crowd fund account for up to two months until there is an announcement from Wildfire that it will return, when the funds will be released. In the event there is not an announcement to this effect the funds on this crowdfund will be returned.