How families booked HESFES

The historical booking service is closed. HESFES no longer takes reservations or payments. This page records how families arranged a visit. For events accepting bookings, follow the organiser links in home education events.

Asking for the programme

A reader seeing the December 1998 festival advert could send a stamped, addressed envelope for a programme booklet and a booking form. The April 1999 notice again offered the booklet by post. It distinguished advance booking from paying on arrival, with an £8 difference between the two family prices in that particular notice. Those old contact details belonged to that year's organisers.

Booking online or by post

In July 2008, the original online form listed an adult ticket at £65, a ticket for ages six to seventeen at £52 and admission for children aged five and under at £1. Online processing added £1 per item. Families could use PayPal or a payment card. The organisers later used that same web address for a postal form. In April 2012 it set out the numbers of adults and children, the value of any electric hook-up and a total payable by cheque or postal order.

Collecting tickets in 2014

At Stonham Barns, people who had booked online collected both their tickets and their programme booklet on arrival. The organisers suggested bringing the confirmation email to help with check-in. Families could choose between the main showground and a quieter camping area. In the quiet area, ordinary pitches went to families as they arrived, while booking an electric pitch reserved a place in advance. A child under eighteen needed a responsible adult on the booking.

Choosing the length of the stay

For the 2011 festival at Rougham, a full ticket covered a seven-night stay and the activities on site. A day visitor or someone wanting a single overnight stay could book a shorter visit. Later Suffolk notices also distinguished electric hook-ups from a standard admission ticket, something a campervan owner would have needed to take into account.

Reading an old booking link

Families sometimes linked directly to the festival when telling friends how to join them. The event date sets the context for a quoted price, an age band or a particular campsite. Start with the record for the year if you are identifying an old trip. The ticket archive brings together surviving prices from the early family rate and later individual rates.