Farewell Errol
We, the Vale Earth Fair Collective, are deeply saddened by the passing of Errol Groves, one of the founders of the festival. A wonderful soul, Errol truly believed in equality and beautiful moments and has fought injustice throughout his life while inspiring many of those around him to join in and get involved.
What Errol and his colleagues at the time started with the Vale Earth Fair has touched and influenced a huge portion of Guernsey’s population; we can genuinely say that the actions of those involved has impacted the course of many, many lives. As well as supporting and promoting environmental and humanitarian causes, Errol was passionate about music and the community it created.
Many have come and gone over the years, but Errol was still a big part of the Fair, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2016. He was running the little real ale bar up in the ramparts, which he named Symphorien’s, but we all called it Errol’s Bar (and will continue to do so).
You only have to mention the Vale Earth Fair or Errol’s name to any of those there in the early years for stories to come out; one that sticks in the mind involves a much more DIY stage and using himself, along with other Collective members, as weights to keep the roof on during a storm!
Much of the reason for the success of our festival over the years is down to his ability to inspire those around him. We carry on the work of the Vale Earth Fair with his words, his rants and his ethos in our hearts and minds, and hopefully this will ensure that his example and legacy continues for many more decades to come.
We will always remember what Errol has done for the Guernsey community; he lives on with the Vale Earth Fair.
Peace and love
The Vale Earth Fair Collective x
