ABOUT CLED GRIFFIN
and how British Keyboard Festivals started
Two years after Cled Griffin produced his keyboard programme on Swansea Sound on 7.7.77 (an easy date to remember) on one of Britain's first independent radio stations, he contacted the managing director of Pontin's Holidays with the idea of producing electronic organ festivals for music enthusiasts.
This resulted in Britain's first residential Home Electronic Organ Festival taking place at Pontin's Barton Holiday centre, Torquay, on the weekend of 4th December 1980. It was Pontin's premier holiday site and was used for special events during off season periods. Although it was winter time the venue and was filled to capacity with around 500 enthusiasts.
Festivals at Barton Hall took place every year in the off peak holiday season until 2002 when the site was sold for activity holidays for the younger generation.
In 1981 Cled produced Britain's first week-long Home Electronic Organ Festival at Pontin's Tower Beach holiday centre at Prestatyn, North Wales, which attracted a crowd of around 2,000 enthusiasts.
In 1985 the late Roy Neal (author and journalist) asked Cled to help him to produce a similar event at Caister's Labroke's site in Norfolk - these became to be known at Keyboard Cavalcade festivals. Cled agreed to do this because there was no conflict with the week-long Pontin's events, which by this time were under the wing of the Association of Organ Enthusiasts who were hosting events at Morecombe and later at Warner's sites.
In 1989/1990 Cled produced two Music and Wine Keyboard Festivals at Pontin's Rivera at Weymouth. It was great fun especially as Pontin's agreed for guests to bring along home made wines for a tasting competition.
In 2003 Cled continued his annual weekend keyboard festivals at the Lyme Bay Leisure Resort at Seaton in Devon. It was a superb venue that Hollybush Hotels had acquired from Warner's Holidays some years earlier.
During the enjoyable six years that followed Cled produced many varied keyboard events at Lyme Bay, including the British Keyboard Player Awards in conjunction with the organisers of the ORGANfax website. Other featured events included tribute shows for Klaus Wunderlich and Mark Shakespeare.
Cled is the first to say that it was a team effort and that he was fortunate to have many enthusiasts working with him, in fact, over the years, too many to mention.
In 2003, Cled helped Andy Oakley, who had been on Cled's team since leaving Barton Hall as entertainment's manger, and Mick Brown, another Pontin's ex-manager, to produce a series of Keyboard Comedy weekends at various Torquay hotels.
In fact it was the success of these Keyboard Comedy weekends that influenced Cled to bring more variety (including a form of X-Factor) into the Sand Bay Leisure Resort weekends that started in 2009 - this was after the Lyme Bay site was bought for development by Tesco the previous year.
It will be the 30th anniversary at Sand Bay in 2010 for British organ-keyboard festivals and Cled is very proud of the fact that he has given pleasure to many thousands of music enthusiasts. Supported by his family, and his son, Ian, he has made many friends that he looks forward to meeting every year.
About Ian Griffin
Ian Griffin was fifteen years old when Britain's first electronic organ festival took place in 1980. He had previously appeared on BBC 1 TV at the age of twelve and was voted back for a second time by the studio audience.
After leaving school he became a professional player, making many appearances all over the UK at organ-keyboard societies.
Winning many awards - including being twice nominated for the British Keyboard Player Awards, Ian has become one of the country's most popular players.
In addition to the keyboard events now being held at Sand Bay, Ian feels privileged to be closely linked to the Keyboard Cavalcade events, which started in 1985, as well as being invited to play at all other major British organ-keyboard festivals.
His professional approach to all festivals is greatly respected by all the other producers.
