Festival planned to celebrate life of much loved Hartlepool mum, music lover and campaigner

Mother of three and community campaigner Nicola Kenny passed away aged just 43 in January after a determined battle against cervical cancer.

Due to Covid restrictions in place at the time her family were not able to give her the send off they and she wanted.

But this Saturday, September 25, they will put on Kenny Fest on what would have been her 44th birthday featuring live bands and singers on stage, great food and children’s entertainment in memory of her.

It will take place in and around The Pot House pub, on the Headland, where Nicola was from.

The event will also be a fitting celebration as Nicola loved going to music festivals with her kids Kaleb, 24, Joel, 21 and Zac, 11.

Kaleb said: “Music was always massive to mam and she would often take us to festivals.

"She always said she didn’t want a big fuss making at her funeral, she just wanted everyone to have one big party.

"After speaking to the landlady of The Pot House we thought what better way to do it than our own festival dedicated to her?”

Music will play from 12.30pm till 6.30pm. The headline act is tribute band Eli playing music from the likes of Oasis, Arctic Monkeys, The Jam and more.

The line up also features local singer songwriter Charlotte Grayson, who will perform her new single, and rising Hartlepool musician Michael Gallagher, fresh from The Isle of Wight Festival.

Liverpool band RATS and another local band Leopard Rays will also perform.

Hartlepool Carnival are kindly providing the stage and sound system to give it the full festival feel and Kaleb said it could not be possible without the help of Elaine Gooding, from The Pot House.

There will also be local food vans and children’s entertainment through the day.

The event is free but there will be collections for Alice House Hospice which cared for Nicola who was a teaching assistant at St Bega's Primary School and member of the bar staff at Hartlepool United.

She was also a passionate hospital campaigner with the Save Our Hospital and Fighting 4 Hartlepool Hospital groups.

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