ORGANISERS of the Great Northern Mod and Ska festival say they have had an unprecedented demand for tickets, with more than 1,000 already sold to music fans from all over the country.

The event is being held in the grounds of the north’s biggest private arboretum and will include performances from Craig Charles, Bad Manners, King Hammond and Skaville UK and the Lambrettas.

As well as the music there will be a ride out with a scooter cavalcade around part of last year's Tour de France course.

It will take place over four days from August 28 to 31, in the grounds of Thorp Perrow, which has more than 80 acres of trees and woodland, near Bedale in North Yorkshire.

Organiser Mike Jinks said the event is the first major festival of its kind dedicated to mod and ska music and has even been attracting fans from the Isle of Wight, where a major scooter rally is being held on the same weekend.

“The response has been phenomenal, we really have been overwhelmed," he said. "Because it’s open air with camping and in such a fabulous part of the country it’s really captured the interest of mod and ska fans.

“People are coming from across Britain. There are dozens of scooter rallies around Britain but a lot of festivals are indoor and that’s why this has created such a lot of interest.

"It’s filling a genre gap in the UK festival scene because there’s been a real resurgence in interest in mod and ska.

"We have concentrated very much on the music and that has definitely paid off.”

Mr Jinks said with online sales of 1,000 tickets they are already on target to break even. The company, Great Northern Festivals, also stages the nearby Richmond Live event held from July 31 to August 1.

“For the first year of a festival that is really good, it can take three to four years to break even, but we’re in this for the long haul," he said.

"We are also going to make it a charitable event so there will be a £5 charge for the ride out, all of which will be matched by Great Northern Festivals before being donated to The British Heart Foundation."

Other acts include The Selecter, Nine Below Zero, Secret Affair and The Chords.

For information and ticket prices go to www.greatnorthernfestivals.com/modska