Our event this year will coincide with our 10th Anniversary and we are working hard to make it a very special occasion. We have some amazing performances lined up, including opera at our Friday Prelude event from the internationally renowned tenor John Hudson, then a Saturday evening finale, where The Great Gig in the Sky are reuniting - just for us - to perform the whole of Pink Floyd's 1973 iconic album the Dark Side of the Moon.

Chesil Rocks has been an annual music and arts festival since 2012, with all proceeds going to Samaritans of Dorset. Since the first Chesil Rocks, we have raised £90,000 for the charity and following our 2022 event - our best ever - were able to give them £20,000, equating to half of their budget. With no government funding, our Samaritans (who are all volunteers), need to spend much of their time on fundraising activities and our contribution allows them to focus more on what they do best.

Suicide remains the leading cause of death in men under the age of 50, and 3/4 of those who take their own lives are men. It also disproportionately affects certain groups, for example those affected by Aspergers, construction workers, farmers, doctors/dentists, musicians, young people and post-natal women. In 2018, there was a significant rise in recorded suicides in the UK and this coincided with the highest number of suicides ever recorded in Dorset, since comparable records began. These are the reasons we started and then decided to continue supporting Samaritans.