News: Wentworth Festival set to stay in Rotherham

A new location has been found that will keep Wentworth Festival in the Rotherham borough.

The annual celebration of music, comedy and family fun has been hosted at Wentworth Woodhouse in Rotherham since it was dreamt up by radio and music pals, Toby Foster and Steve White in 2017.

The grade I listed mansion hosted the high profile event for the last time in September with organisers needing a more sustainable location and stating that they had to move away as they could no longer mitigate the substantial costs that Wentworth Woodhouse and its preservation trust owners need to cover.

A move to nearby Hooton Lodge Farm, a beautiful campsite and space between Kilnhurst and Thrybergh, has now been confirmed.

Previously used as a training ground for Rotherham United, the site has become a popular location for events after new owners carried out a complete overhaul of the site following a 2015 deal. The pub restaurant closed in favour of camping

WentFest24 is set to take place at Hooton Lodge in June 2024.

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Just like in previous years, the festival will include a main statge, a new music stage, a comedy tent, kid's tent and fairground, but moving to Hooton Lodge will mean that the festivities will be extended with camping offered on site.

In a post on social media, festival organisers, said: "The move from Wentworth itself means that we can expand the festival this year to include two nights, with two headline acts, and provide camping so that the party doesn’t have to end when the music stops.

"There are two nights that we can fill the main stage with fantastic music, and we intend to do just that.

"This is going to be so much fun, we can’t wait to welcome you. We’ve booked the fairground rides, the bar will be even bigger than in years gone by and we’ll still have one or two tricks up our sleeves."

The full line-up is still to be released but acts confirmed so far include pop rock band, Scouting For Girls, who played Wentworth Festival in 2018, and British boy band, Blue.

WentFest website

Images: Wentworth Festival / Facebook

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News: Hooton Lodge up for auction following closure

A country inn and the site of the former Rotherham United training ground is set to go under the hammer next week.

Hooton Lodge at Hooton Roberts, which has until recently has been operated as a Country Inn, is described as a substantial stone property on an elevated open rural location offering extensive living accommodation in addition to public bars, restaurant areas and catering kitchens. Joint agents, Auction House and Fine & Country believe that it is considered suitable for conversion to a private dwelling of considerable character, subject to the usual planning consents.

Set for the auction at Gainsborough Golf Club on September 29, the 4,252 sq ft property has been given the guide price of £300,000 - £350,000. Also at the same auction is a lot for the adjacent 43 acres of land - the former Millers training facility - which has been given a guide price of £375,000.

Owned by local company, C F Booth Ltd, one of the largest independently run recycling companies in Europe and whose family previously owned the football club, around 20 hectares to the rear of the pub has been used in recent years as a small scale touring park.

A planning application was submitted at the end of 2014 for a large scale caravan park with 93 touring caravan pitches to add to the current 18 that were given planning permission in 2012. Further plans are being drawn up for an office / reception block and a toilet / amenity block on the site. The plans added that the owner also proposes improvements to Hooton Lodge Public House to include a large function room and a separate application would be submitted. It is estimated that the development is valued at £1m.

The application is still being assessed by Rotherham Council.

The site has also been used for rallies and events such as Dub Odyssey, which attracts 3,000 Volkswagen fans each year.

With the closure of Hooton Lodge, organisers of Dub Odyssey have had to cancel the event for 2015.

Auction House website
Fine & Country website

Images: Fine & Country

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