Good evening all,
A week on from the festival, it feels like the right moment to sit down and say a proper thank you. Thank you to everyone who came along to SharkFest 2026, and to everyone who rolled up their sleeves to make it the best one yet.
It's fair to say SharkFest has grown into something genuinely special — a warm, family-oriented festival that's become a real fixture in the calendar. Of course, there's a fair bit of hard graft that goes on behind the scenes to make sure it (mostly!) goes to plan, and none of it happens without a small army of brilliant people.
So, in no particular order, my heartfelt thanks go to:
- Pete Prior-Sankey
- Darren Sandercock
- Si Baylie
- Nev Carr
- Mark Ware
- Ian Harvey
- Hannah Dempsey
- Phil Burford
- Sheila Burford
- Katrina Baker
- Jon Lee
- The Bar Staff
- Dan Force
- The Physio Ladies
- The Coaches on Super Saturday
- Dave Burford
- Becky Bettesworth
- Matt Bettesworth
- Lucy Venter
- The Waterboys!
- The Ball Boys & Girls
- Barnstaple Vets
- Bideford Ladies
- Pasty & the Old Grammarians
- Mike Dymond & the University Medics
- The Referees!
And if I've forgotten anyone — my humble apologies. You know who you are, and you know how much it's appreciated.
A few positive changes ahead
There are some good things coming. First up, there'll be a brand-new SharkFest Committee to share the load and take a bit of the strain off me — which can only be a good thing for the festival.
We're also launching a new Sharks Membership to keep the Sharks both exclusive and inclusive — full details to follow very soon.
Thanks again, everyone. Here's to the next one.
Russ