Farming family tell of shock at Golden Valley rave

The suspicions of people living in Dorstone, in Herefordshire’s Golden Valley, were first raised in the early hours of Easter Sunday morning (April 4) when they heard dozens, if not hundreds, of cars passing through the remote village.

They were all heading to Vagar Hill, above the village, where an illegal rave had been planned.

For landowners the Starkey family, it meant navigating lanes with cars parked on either side, and making sure dogs didn’t go near pregnant ewes, or newborn lambs.

Cars parked along single-track lanes near Dorstone

Di Bowen, whose parents Mike and Garry live and work on Draen Farm, said: “I think mum and dad initially were in shock at the speed and the scale that it all erupted.

“As the morning went on and we all arrived to help them with the sheep, they resigned themselves to the fact it was with the police and nothing could be done.

“Then when a dog got into the sheep, we all felt it escalated and it put us on high alert. The sheep were on the top of the hill, my dad had pushed them away, but the gates were left open and they all went back down.”

Some of those that took part in the illegal rave at Dorstone. Picture: BBC Hereford and Worcester

Mrs Starkey’s father Mike then told the ravers if any dogs chased his sheep, there would be no questions asked and they would be shot – as is legally allowed.

At 4am on Sunday morning, Mrs Starkey's mother Garry struggled to drive along the lanes to get to sheep, having to ask people to move their cars so she could get through.

West Mercia Police said it was looking to prosecute the organisers as the mass gathering was in contravention of coronavirus rules.

Police attending the rave at Dorstone

They said the sound system, which could be heard up to 10 miles way, was seized and a number of arrests were made for driving offences.

The booming bass from the sound system rung around the rural area through the early hours to Sunday afternoon, with Mike Starkey's wife Garry facing a long night in the lambing shed.

Her daughter, who lives in Bredwardine but headed out to her parents farm at 6am on Sunday, said a group of volunteers went to the farmland to clean up after the revellers, but there was not as much mess as she feared.

Garry Starkey, left, faced a long night in the lambing shed. Picture: Rob Davies

"Someone said they were supposed to be the green brigade and clean up after themselves, there was litter, rubbish, toilet roll and things you don't want to know about," she said.

"But it wasn't the devastation that I was expecting. All those volunteers just rocked up and did it, it takes your breath away."

She added: "It was on mum and dad's farm, it was in their field, but the effect on the surrounding people, and even down in the village, it was enormous.

"It must've been very frightening for people at night when they didn't know what was going on."