A ONE-DAY music festival in Blaenavon held to raise funds for a project helping young people was “absolutely fantastic”, one of its organisers has said.

Held on Saturday, Blaenfest raised between £1,500 and £2,000 and will be able to pay to keep the Neon Project open for around four months.

The project is run for young people at the town’s community centre on Old William Street to offer them a safe social environment, but it was threatened with closure in April because of a lack of funds.

One of Blaenfest’s organisers, Neville Brooks, who co-ordinated the festival with the Neon Project’s manager, Dan Oliver, said 24 bands played at three venues across Blaenavon.

He said: “It was a long day but a good day.”

The Market Tavern, The Queen’s Hotel and the Blaenavon Workmen’s Hall were all used to stage the performances.

The day was headlined by Blackwood’s The Bleedin Noses and all performers played free of charge.

Tickets were priced at £7.50 each and allowed entry to all three venues from midday to midnight.

Mr Brooks reserved special mention to Ellie Makes Music, from Cardiff, and Crumlin’s Three Miles an Hour, both of whom gave percentages of their record sales on the day towards the fundraising.

He said he hoped a festival would be held again next year but that it would look “slightly different”.

Other acts included Misled Truth, from Caerleon, and Newport’s Applied Science.