Now in its sixth year, Teddy Rocks Festival (TRF) has secured two internationally known rock bands in Feeder and Ash, who will be taking to the stage following a strong line-up of acts over the first May Bank Holiday weekend.

Headlining the main stage on Saturday 5 May are Welsh rockers, Feeder. Feeder first shot to fame in 1996 with their debut EP Swim, which was released to huge critical acclaim. Since then Feeder have released nine studio albums and accumulated 25 top 75 singles. In 2016, Feeder achieved their seventh top 10 album.

Northern Irish alternative band Ash will perform on the main stage on Sunday, 6 May. Ash’s UK top 20 hit Girl From Mars catapulted the band to fame in the UK in 1996, the same year their album 1977 was named by NME as one of the 500 greatest albums. Ash has had 18 songs in the Top 40 UK Singles Chart and two platinum-selling albums.

TRF started from humble beginnings in a country pub in North Dorset in 2012. Founder of TRF, Tom Newton, 28, wanted to help fundraise for the charity Teddy20, started by his parents who raise money for children and families fighting cancer. To this day all profits achieved from the sale of tickets is donated to Teddy20. In 2016 the festival took the plunge and relocated to a bigger premise and secured a permanent licence at its new home, Charisworth Farm, in Blandford Forum, Dorset, where it can offer weekend camping.

Founder and festival director, Tom Newton, said, “I’m thrilled to be able to announce these names, with more acts being announced in the coming weeks. Every year Teddy Rocks has exceeded what I thought was possible and I continue to be blown away by the amount we raise every year, and the love that people have for this festival. I’m looking forward to 2018, the site is going to be bigger than ever, with more on offer and even a few surprise acts planned.”