Vogue as Madonna. Picture by Laura Holme.
MUSIC THOUSANDS of music lovers flocked to the IW Donkey Sanctuary over the bank holiday to watch some of the world’s best tribute acts.
Internationally renowned acts, including Legend: A Tribute to Bob Marley, Ben as Michael Jackson and The Bootleg Beatles took to the stage at Fauxfest 2012, wowing the crowds with their pitch-perfect performances.
Other acts at the festival, held at the Wroxall sanctuary, included tributes to Stevie Wonder, Barry White, Elton John, Tina Turner, The Drifters, Beyonce, Take That and Madonna.
Cherryl Clarke, who founded the charity 25 years ago with her former husband, Charlie Clarke, said the event had raised around £15,000.
"Last year’s event was a great success and this year was bigger and better than ever, really amazing. We must have had six or seven thousand people come over the weekend and everyone said they had a fabulous time," said Cherryl.
"I think people were really impressed by the quality of the acts, because these are internationally renowned musicians who perform all over the world. The headline acts went down a storm, especially Ben as Michael Jackson — we booked him because he was so popular last year.
"Fauxfest is a really important event for the IW Donkey Sanctuary, not just because it’s our biggest fundraiser but also because it raises the profile of the charity and the work we do here."
Other entertainment over the weekend included fairground rides, plus a bouncy castle and children’s face painting.
Food was provided by Island catering firms and bars were run by Island Ales and the Spar group, which sponsored the event with Wightlink, and donated its bar profits to the charity.
Cherryl said: "I’m so grateful to our sponsors for their support and to the hundreds of volunteers who helped over the weekend. They were absolutely brilliant, we couldn’t have done this without them."
Reporter: emilyp@iwcpmail.co.uk