THERE is only a month to go until ten acres of farmland are once more transformed for the fifth Chagstock festival.

The festival has humble beginnings, with friends Simon Ford and Al Bullock deciding to throw a party in Simon's garden in Chagford to re-unite with old school friends.

Simon said: 'For the party we thought we would set up a little stage and I got my old school band "Hanging Loose" together and did a bit of jamming, just mucking about really.

'Friends came down to Chagford and they camped in the garden and we would have a barbecue and play music, drink and that' s how it started.'

Over the next few years Simon threw two more parties, but the idea to expand the event had been planted in his mind. Working as a business transfer manager in Exeter, Simon left his nine-to-five job for a year to try and organise a music and arts festival on Dartmoor.

He said: 'It was a massive learning curve — my business background helped but it was a massive risk, I put my own money on the line and I am still.

'Back then the first thing I did was to put a notice in The Globe pub in Chagford about renting a field for the event.

'The Knox family, who own a pig farm near Whiddon Down, contacted me offering the site a few miles from Chagford on the North side of Dartmoor, that has been the home of Chagstock ever since.'

The lengthy process of organising toilets, security, advertising and the many facets of a music festival took Simon the rest of the year to organise. After all the hard work, in 2007, the first public Chagstock took place.

The headline act were the Saw Doctors from Ireland, and around 800 people attended the one day festival, with 15 artists playing on two stages through the day until midnight.

Since the inaugural event, some great international acts have played the festival, including the Hot House Flowers, Squeeze, the Hoosiers and Ade Edmondson and his band the Bad Shepherds.

Chagstock is now a staple of the local summer festival season, with the event's family-friendly atmosphere and welcoming vibe now attracting up to 5,000 visitors.

Simon said: 'I could not run this event without the help of local people who come together each year to help put on Chagstock and give their time freely, and local businesses and sponsors like Gregory Distribution, who give us drinking water and smaller local businesses and outlets who sell tickets and programmes. We could not run Chagstock without them, but it also brings local people together.

'Each year I learn something new or get new ideas and try and improve. This year it is e-ticketing, and ATMs, portals for charging your phone and iPod, free entertainment for children, good clean loos and showers, a tipi village camping area and a "village shop" where you can buy food and groceries, just about everything for your stay.'

Chagstock 2011 is a three day festival, starting on Friday, July 22 until Sunday, July 24. Acts playing the festival include the Magic Numbers, Show of Hands, Bellowhead and the John Otway Big Band, with around thirty other acts to play in the three music venues on the thirty-five acre site.

Further information and tickets for the festival are available from http://www.chagstock.info">www.chagstock.info