When most men retire they take up golf or get out in the garden. Not George Cronin. He decided to buy a stage
It all started when George was building houses
“I was running a construction business and when building houses in Stanford-Le-Hope, Essex and they were running a local family focussed event, Thurrock’s Got Talent. I ended up sponsoring the festival and loved it. When I packed up work I decided to put it all into a stage!”
There was one slight hitch, George didn’t know much about stages.
“I knew about performing on one – I am part of a band called The Magic Sticks. We play 60s and 70s music, Old boys’ stuff, and do festivals, battles of the bands competitions, pubs and Clubs. I had seen the trailer stage at Thurrock, which was great but basic – there was a lot to learn. I started looking into the different types of stages and who made them, then, last October I trekked round Europe visiting manufacturers. I went to Poland, Vienna and Dusseldorf but the Poles came in with the best price.
I was a finance director before I was an MD so the sums had to be right. I ordered it the day after Chorleywood Christmas Festival and it was delivered on 10 March.”
George went on to sign up for a training course at The Backstage Academy, Wakefield where he achieved a Health and Safety passport for Event Management.
“We did things like calculating voltage, designing an electrical system for live events and understanding connectors and cables. All crucial topics.”
George and team rigged the stage in the storage yard a few weeks ago and installed the lighting.
“So now I have a stage available to hire out for events. The stage quality is superb. It has a drum riser and safety railings so is ideal for children’s performances. It copes with soft ground and slopes. When a client books, we do a site visit before events and advise clients. It takes an hour for us to set it up. Its one of the best value stages around!
£1250 in main season, including lights, drum rise and set up
