Glaston-BURY pauses for emotional cheer as festival honours those who have died

Monday, 25 August 2025 17:32

By David Murphy

Earlier today, Monday 25 August, crowds at Glaston-BURY paused for a moving tribute as Christopher ‘Bucko’ Buckley took to the stage and called on festivalgoers to cheer in honour of those who have died.

The tribute took place at 4pm, when the town centre fell into a powerful moment of applause as people clapped and cheered after each name was read out. The event was part of the annual Glaston-BURY festival, which since 2008 has raised more than £300,000 for Bury Hospice and other charities.

This year’s memorial was dedicated to Steve Rogers, known to many as Steve Ferringo, who died in October aged 62 after living with cancer. Rogers, frontman of The Steve Ferringo Band, created Ferringo Fest to support Macmillan and NorthCare following the death of his wife Ange in 2015.

The tribute also remembered Neil Shackleton, Sandra O’Reilly, Phil Dunny, Martin Murphy, Marc Watmough (Happy Mondaze), Keiran Patrick Rafferty, Marc Gorton, Phil Taylor (World Black Pudding Championships), Steve “Sonic Diary” Doyle (Salford FM), Bernard Newsham, Sylvia Young, Lol and Norma Sullivan, Harrison “Big Harry” Rothwell, Mike “The Doctor” Middleton, Mike Peters (The Alarm), Ozzy Osbourne and Hulk Hogan.

Running from midday, today’s event has featured original artists, tribute acts, solo performers and bands across Bury town centre, underlining the festival’s reputation as one of the most vibrant community-led events in the North West.

Follow our LIVE blog for all updates from throughout the day.