Hewden helps make the music

Rental company Hewden in the UK provided more than 20 pieces of equipment to help events contractor, SJM Concerts, put on the Big Weekend music festival. BBC Radio sponsored the event, which was held 9-10 May at Lydiard Park in Swindon and is the UK's biggest (attendance was 40000) free concert.

SJM Concerts rented a combination of rough-terrain forklifts, six Caterpillar telehandlers with lift heights from 7 m to 13 m, and ten Groundhog utility vehicles from the Hewden depot in Swindon. The equipment positioned barriers, moved and placed portable toilet facilities, and erected the stage areas.

Of particular value, according to Hewden, were the Groundhog 6 x 4s. The six wheeled, four-wheel drive, two-seater pick-ups churned across the terrain of the three-mile park. They transported bands, including The Prodigy, Kasabian, Franz Ferdinand, and solo artists, such as Lily Allen and Dizzee Rascal, from one side of the venue to the other, as well as serving access points across the site.

Hewden is part of Finning International.