Due to the coronavirus outbreak, all might have been lost for the festival that attracts thousands to the seaside town every year, but thanks to Keith Treggiden, general manager of Rendezvous & Royal Oak, and tourism group, Loving Weymouth & Portland, it is due to go ahead, virtually, this Sunday 12 April.

Dubbed the Virtual Quayfest, it will run for 12 hours from 12pm on Sunday and will be broadcast from the Loving Weymouth & Portland Facebook page. The Leggomen, Laura Bannon, of The Voice fame, and many more of the area’s finest musicians will be performing. There are already over 500 people attending the online event.

Watching the festival is free but organisers will be raising money for NHS staff at the local Dorset County Hospital and encourage attendees to donate via their JustGiving page.

Keith said, “I am so proud that we are still able to run the Quayside Festival safely and responsibly, in the midst of this adversity. So many people within our community look forward to the event every year, and it seems even more important and relevant to run it during the crisis. We just hope we can brighten people’s weekends and make staying home that little bit easier with the Virtual Quayfest.

“Our JustGiving page has already raised £130 for the Dorset County Hospital and we haven’t even started yet. It is fantastic to be able to support the incredible work that the NHS is doing – we all appreciate the risk our frontline healthcare workers take every day to support the most vulnerable people across the country, and I know this will be reflected in our fundraising effort.”

To join the Virtual Quayfest on Sunday 12 April visit the Loving Weymouth & Portland Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1158567554484021/

To donate to the Dorset County Hospital via the Virtual Quayfest JustGiving page visit: https://www.justgiving.com/team/Virtualquayfest