About Ruislip-Northwood Festival Association

Festival Calendar

Organisation of a year’s Festival typically starts 12 months in advance, with the engagement of the adjudicators and booking of the venues. Syllabuses listing the classes on offer and information about the Festival, including its rules and entry fees, are usually published about 6 months before the Festival. Copies are sent to teachers and others likely to submit entries. Based on the entries subsequently received dates & times of classes are decided, bookings of adjudicators & venues finalised, performers notified accordingly and stewards recruited. The programmes are word-processed & sent for printing. A report-sheet & certificate are also printed for each performer in each class.

Festival’s Support of the Arts Community

Apart from the major enterprise of running the Festival we support the arts locally by our continuing membership of the Hillingdon Arts Association www.hillingdonarts.org.uk and the performing arts nationally by that of the British & International Federation of Festivals.

Finance

Surprise and disbelief are sometimes expressed that, apart from the Adjudicators, nobody receives any payment for their part in running our Festival and that neither central nor local government funds it. Our income consists primarily of class entry fees, plus those for admission to performances; other contributions are from sales of programmes and any refreshments, as well as donations in cash or kind from generous individuals & organisations. Our main costs are those of our professional adjudicators and our venues; others are place-medals, printing, postage, BIFF membership & insurance etc and incidentals.

Support received

We survive financially and flourish artistically thanks to the support we receive from everyone involved - parents, teachers, performers, adjudicators, unpaid helpers and other generous donors. Supporters include the John Lyon School and the Rosedale-Hewens Academy Trust, which make their respective venues available to us on the most favourable terms they can, as well as other organisations & individuals who make very helpful donations, large & small. We are extremely grateful for all this support, without which the Festival could not survive, let alone flourish, and we are anxious to attract more so that we may develop further.

Thanks to Chartered Accountants Munday Long & Co www.mlco.co.uk for auditing the Ruislip-Northwood Festival accounts.

For more information and/or to offer support

If you would like more information about the Festival, or would like to help us in any way, please talk to any of our stewards at the Festival or contact any of the honorary members of our committee.