Crawley Rugby Club came together this September to help fund Christmas for families across Sussex, Surrey and Kent, as The Greenaway Foundation’s annual music festival returned for another year of live music, community spirit and fundraising for families who need it most. The event has become one of the highlights of the Foundation’s calendar, bringing together supporters, volunteers and performers for an afternoon that’s as much about connection as it is about music.

A festival worth the wait

After a week of relentless rain, the skies cleared just in time. Crawley Rugby Club was transformed into a hub of music and community spirit as The Greenaway Foundation held its annual music festival, Greenaway Live. This year’s event carries extra weight: the Foundation is aiming to raise £200,000 towards feeding 1,200 families and fulfilling 4,000 children’s wishes this Christmas, across Sussex, Surrey and Kent.

The good weather helped. Families and friends spread out chairs and blankets across the grounds, children played on the grass, and the afternoon settled into the relaxed, festival atmosphere that’s become part of the day’s tradition. Food stalls kept the crowd fed between sets, and there was a genuine sense of a community turning out for one another, exactly the spirit Greenaway Live was built to celebrate.

Music from three until ten

The lineup ran the length of the afternoon and into the evening. IC Band opened at 3pm with an energetic start, followed by the soulful sound of Martha & Friends, then Funkee Junkee’s funk-driven set, and Euphoria’s uplifting tunes. The Big Kahunas closed the night, keeping the crowd dancing and singing along until 10pm.

Each act brought its own crowd to its feet, and by the time the closing set rolled around, the grounds were full of people who’d been there since the opening chords, a testament to how much this festival has grown into a fixture of the local calendar.

A patron in the crowd

Among the guests was Mims Davies MP, one of the Foundation’s patrons, who presented awards on the day and joined in the celebration. Her presence was a reminder of how much a shared local effort can achieve when a community pulls together behind it, and of the wider support Greenaway Live continues to attract as it grows year on year.

What the funds make possible

Every ticket and donation from Greenaway Live goes towards the Foundation’s Christmas 2026 programme: food supplies for 1,200 families and 4,000 children’s wishes fulfilled, reaching families across Sussex, Surrey and Kent who might otherwise go without over the festive period.

It’s a big ask, £200,000, but it’s the same principle the Foundation was built on: one door knocked on at a time, now multiplied across an entire festival’s worth of goodwill. Every ticket sold, every raffle entry and every donation on the day adds up to real support landing on real doorsteps this Christmas.

Thank you to everyone who made it happen

None of this happens without the people behind the scenes. Our volunteers managed ticketing, ran the stalls, and looked after attendees throughout the day, and their work is what let everyone else simply enjoy the music. Local businesses who donated raffle prizes and supported the day deserve a mention too, their generosity helped make the afternoon feel like a true team effort. Thank you to everyone who played, performed, volunteered, and came along, you’re the reason Greenaway Live keeps growing.

We’re already looking forward to next year, and to knocking on even more doors together.

Make a donation

If Greenaway Live moved you, you can still help us reach this year’s £200,000 target and make sure no family in Sussex, Surrey or Kent goes without this Christmas. Donate now, or find out more about volunteering with us or our Christmas programme.