Over the last few years, music festivals have become increasingly expensive, leaving many music fans feeling ripped off, writes Kate Hartshorn.

But Oxfordshire's own music festival -Truck Festival 2001 - being held at Hill Farm, Steventon, near Abingdon, next Thursday and Friday has always been superb value for money.

The festival was the brainchild of the Bennett family in 1998. They felt that instead of braving the prices at festivals, they would put on an event of their own, hosted on a stage constructed from two large trucks.

Helped by members of the local community, Truck Festival first took place in Autumn 1998 at Hill Farm in Steventon, where it played host to music of all kinds. From folk and blues to hip hop and drum and bass, from heavy metal and punk to indie and all other kinds of music, it appealed to everyone.

Truck Festival is run for no profit, with proceeds going to charities such as Amnesty International and childrens hospice Helen House. All of the staff are volunteers from the local village, the Rotary club and the local church.

With the help of members of the community in Steventon, local bands and fans, the first Truck was a huge success and by1999 had grown in size and was held over two days instead of one.

With the audience now being able to camp over night at the event, Truck has become famous for its friendly and relaxed atmosphere, pulling a diverse crowd from families to bikers.

Truck 2000 was a sell-out, attracting thousands of people from Oxfordshire and beyond. Highlights from last year included Unbelievable Truth and Stoofa.

And Truck 2001 is destined to be as good, if not better, than last year's festival.

Among the bands already confirmed are Goldrush, The Rock of Travolta, Dustball, Four Storeys, John Otway, The Cheese Graters, There You Go and many more. Again this year, The Club That Can Not Be Named will be hosting the barn stage on Sunday afternoon, with Onedice now confirmed to play. Also Depth Charge and Twisted AM will be hosting a stage over the weekend and will be providing entertainment until the early hours of Sunday morning.

Tickets are selling fast this year and are priced at £20. They are available from local music shops or online at www.truckrecords.com.