THE tranquil grounds of a

North-East Castle burst into

life as the Mods came to

town.

Like a scene from

Quadrophenia, Vespas and

Lambrettas paraded through

Stanhope’s market town,

bringing with them the

nostalgic feel of times gone

b y.

Their destination - the

Stonevalley festival- a

celebration of music and

scooters that attracts people

from all over the country.

There was a buzz of

anticipation as a sea of tents

took over the usually quiet

and spacious fields and

friends reunited to admire

each other’s motors and

chatter excitedly about the

weekend ahead.

It is the fourth year that

organisers have held the

event and each year it gets

bigger and better as word

spreads about the friendly

family atmosphere and

fantastic music.

For seven-year-old Lewis

Davis, from Thorney Close,

Sunderland, it was his first

music festival and he

proudly donned a t-shirt

telling everyone.

Hi grandmother Jeanette

Davison said the family had

decided to bring him

following their experiences

the year before.

She said: “We loved it last

year and we knew Lewis

would. We brought him

because it is so well

organised and we knew he

would be safe here and

people would look out for

him.’’

The festival was launched

four years ago by a group of

people who had a mutual love

of music from the Mod era

and a fan of scooters.

Co-organiser Lisa Turnbull

said: “We all met and just

clicked. We wanted to create

an event with a safe, friendly

atmosphere for all ages, full

of lovers of great music, who

all want to enjoy a cracking

weekend.

“We cannot believe how

popular it has become. It is

amazing.’’

The past few years have

seen old favourites like The

Beat and The Selector

headline on the Saturday

night and this year

organisers scored another

coop with From The Jam

featuring original Jam

member, Bruce Foxton.

The return of festival

favourites Basket Case and

the Scandals, who have

become the ‘house band’

along with another 12 bands

and a massive scooter rally

proved a winning formula