A Hampshire music festival is in the running for a top national award after its most successful year yet.

The Wickham Festival has been nominated in the Best Festival (Capacity under 15,000) category of the prestigious Live UK Music Business Awards.

Now in its sixth year, this is the only event committed to presenting awards to the business people who drive the country’s contemporary live music industry.

The awards recognise excellence and talent among promoters, venue operators, festival organisers and agents, through to artiste managers, tour managers, show producers, brand impact and record label partnerships.

It is a fitting reward for the hugely successful event staged at Wickham last month when record crowds flocked to the picturesque site to see the likes of the Proclaimers, 10cc, Billy Bragg and many more.

Organiser Peter Chegwyn said: “We are absolutely delighted to be nominated for this award. It is a tribute to the dozens of people who work so hard to make this festival such a success and to create its unique relaxed atmosphere and family feel.

“Although it is nice to see our efforts recognised like this, the greatest reward is seeing thousands of smiling faces – and the biggest testament to our success is that so many people come back year after year.

“We have already had a record number of people booking for next year before we have even announced a single act. They know there will be a top quality line-up and they know the atmosphere and amenities will be as good as ever.

“People regularly come from all over the world. This year we had more than 25,000 fans with not a single crime reported and we are looking forward to welcoming them back next year.

”This year has been the best festival I have put on in 25 years, record-breaking in every sense. It has really put Wickham on the map – the question now is how do we top it?”

The 2016 event takes place from August 4-7. Anyone booking by the end of September can save a third on a weekend ticket – a reduction of £50 on a four-day adult ticket. Contact eastfest@talk21.com for details.