Festival bosses agree to team up

Beth Ditto's band Gossip are playing at this year's Creamfields

Organisers of festivals including Womad, Creamfields, Bestival, Electric Picnic and Big Chill have joined forces to take on their bigger rivals.

They have agreed to work together to help make events better for fans, greener and more cost-effective.

Bestival promoter Rob da Bank said it was important to "ride out the problems and make them better for the customer".

Creamfields owner James Barton said it was a good idea because "smaller festivals are also often overlooked".

He added: "There is a real opportunity to combine our spending power to deliver exciting business ideas.

"It's important we now have a voice to influence decisions being made that impact on our business."

Other festivals which have signed up include Devon's Beautiful Days, the Bloom Festival in Cheltenham and Berkshire's Glade event.

Leicester's Summer Sundae, Ireland's Electric Picnic and the Secret Garden Party are also involved, as are the organisers of London's Field Day event and Scotland's Rock Ness.