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Aaron Baldwin is pinning his hopes on a sell-out gig at Malmesbury Town Hall raising cash for Cancer Research

STUDENT Aaron Baldwin is hoping the success of the WOMAD international music festival in Charlton Park will rub off on his charity event a week later.

The Panic Festival is in aid of Cancer Research UK and will give Malmesbury's music lovers a chance to see top live acts.

Mr Baldwin, who runs Crystal Clear Management events agency with friend Alex Moore, has been showcasing the town's musical talent for the past year.

A 19-year-old Exeter University student from malmesbury, Mr Baldwin used to hold gigs at the Rose and Crown in Lea but was forced to move after people complained about the noise.

Now the council has offered him space in the refurbished town hall to hold events, kicking off with the festival on August 1 and 2.

Included in the line-up are INME and Youth-Movies, who are play listed on Radio One, MTV and have played at major festivals such as Reading and Download.

Mr Baldwin is working with some of the best agents in the UK, including Helter-Skelter Booking, who manage Charlie from Busted's band Fightstar.

"We have got some really big names coming along, and four local bands, including mine," said Mr Baldwin. "We would really have struggled to put the festival on if we didn't get the town hall.

"Some of the places we were looking at in Swindon cost twice as much as this, so it means we can raise more for charity too.

"At the moment all the money is coming from us and it will cost £3,500 to put on.

"We've done our sums though and if we sell enough tickets we will cover it and raise plenty for charity.

"We are happy with the bands we've got and it will be great for the town. Hopefully we can get bigger every year and make it the biggest event to hit Malmesbury."

The three-year-old festival began when family friend Sharon Moore asked Mr Baldwin to help her hire bands for a ball she was organising. Last year's smaller event raised £900 for Cancer Research UK.

For information and tickets visit www.crystalclear. bigcartel.com or www.my space.com/panicfest

2:19pm Thursday 12th June 2008

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