BUDLEIGH Salterton s free music festival, Budstock, is celebrating its 20th birthday in style – because, for the first year ever, there will be on-site loos.

BUDLEIGH Salterton's free music festival, Budstock, is celebrating its 20th birthday in style - because, for the first year ever, there will be on-site loos.

Thanks to the generosity of a number of local businesses donating cash, festival-goers will be able to spend a penny, without trudging along the seafront to the public conveniences.

After a Journal appeal, the town has rallied round in support of the free festival.

Budleigh Salterton Lions donated �250 and local solicitors Vine Orchard gave �400 for the loo fund.

The Panasonic Store, in Exeter, continues to be a loyal supporter of the event, this year donating �1,000 to ensure its smooth running.

Budstock organiser Joe Holroyd, 40, last month, appealed for help from local businesses to sponsor portable toilets to help combat the 10pm public convenience curfew.

Thanks to the financial generosity of the town, there will be five portable loos sited in the car park, throughout the festival.

The cash will also stretch to pay for a portable urinal for up to eight people.

The nearest public toilets are a five-minute walk away from where the event is held in the Lime Kiln car park.

Because the event is non-profit making, funds are limited and rarely stretch to pay for portable toilets.

Mr Holroyd said: "Hiring our own toilets means people don't have to walk along the seafront to use the public ones.

"As well as the on-site ones, the district council has agreed to keep the seafront loos open all night instead of closing them at 10pm.

"Budstock is the only free festival and that makes it a unique event.

"This is its 20th anniversary and I hope we can keep going with it."

This year's event had to conform to new health and safety legislation and required an outside venue licence, which Mr Holroyd said took hours of preparation.

This year there will also be on-site fire extinguishers and a security team costing �600 to keep any rowdy revellers in check.

l Budstock festival takes place on Saturday, August 1.