Brookfest was a huge success, raising money for Shropshire Mental Health Support

For the sixth year in a row, The Brooklands pub in Meole Brace, Shrewsbury, hosted its free music extravaganza, raising money for Shropshire Mental Health Support over the weekend of 1st – 2nd August. The new landlords wanted to make this event bigger, so they gave a percentage of all food and drinks purchased over the weekend, which increased the amount donated from £180 in 2025 to £806 in 2026.

The event was a great success and was opened by the Mayor of Shrewsbury, Councillor Bernie Bentick. Robbie Jones, organiser of the event and a talented musician who also played at Brookfest alongside his team, Chris Smout and Georgia Salvoni, brought together 17 amazing acts over two days.

The Mayor of Shrewsbury, Councillor Bernie Bentick, said, “This wonderful festival has become a much-loved part of our local community, and it is fantastic to see it returning for its sixth year, bringing together local musicians, families, friends and neighbours for a weekend of great entertainment and community spirit.

“Importantly, Brookfest is also supporting an outstanding local charity, Shropshire Mental Health Support. I am proud to say that Shropshire Mental Health Support is one of the four charities I have chosen to officially support during my Mayoral Year. Mental health affects every community, every family and every generation. The work carried out by Shropshire MHS makes a genuine difference to lives across Shrewsbury and Shropshire.”

Mark and Ryan, landlords of The Brooklands, said, “We want to thank everyone who attended the weekend, our loyal customers and stallholders and the Mayor of Shrewsbury, Councillor Bernie Bentick, who opened the event. Thank you to everyone who donated, making this donation to Shropshire Mental Health Support possible. Robbie, Chris and Georgia did a great job organising the bands and ensuring everything ran smoothly over the weekend. The music was amazing, and the bands did a great job. We also want to say a special thank you to our staff who worked long hours to ensure everyone who attended had a great experience.

“We wanted to run a family-friendly event with great music, and that’s exactly what happened. We are already planning on how to make Brookfest 2027 bigger and better. We want the first weekend in August to be associated with Brookfest, so it becomes a permanent fixture in everyone’s calendar.”

The event raised money for Shropshire Mental Health Support, which provides mental health support to the people of Shropshire through peer support groups, telephone support, calmer cafes and the wellbeing vehicle, which travels the county providing support to rural areas.

Robbie Jones, organiser, said, “I am so proud, and it’s a privilege to have run and organised Brookfest 2026 for the 6th year with my amazing team. Making it an even bigger success with the help of everyone at The Brooklands!”

Clive Ireland, Chair of Shropshire Mental Health Support, said, “We are grateful to Mark, Ryan and Robbie for inviting us to be part of Brookfest, not only raising money but also raising awareness of mental health challenges and the support we can offer. It was such an amazing weekend full of great talent and lots of fun for the whole family, and we hope we can join them next year.”