IT was an event which brought together hippies and punks; a festival which drew free spirited individuals to a little known part of the North West from all over the country.

Deeply Vale may have only been held for four years from 1976 to 1979 but the impact this free festival had on the music scene can still be felt today.

Last summer, to mark the 40th anniversary of the first Deeply Vale festival, organiser Chris Hewitt held a celebration event at Heywood Civic Hall featuring many of the artists who took to the stage all those years ago including Steve Hillage, Gong and the Ruts.

Now a three-DVD set and accompanying book have been released of that 40th anniversary celebration.

For Chris, Deeply Vale has become something which has taken over much of his life.

"Because Deeply Vale didn't survive like, say Glastonbury, it does have more of a magical thing about it," he said. "I suppose you could compare it to people always remembering Hendrix or Janis Joplin as stars who died young as opposed to some overweight person playing comeback tours. It never had the chance to get old."

At the first festival in 1976 around 300 attended. That number rose to an estimated 20,000 for Deeply Vale's final two years.

As well as the varied line-up, the festival was noteworthy for the impact on many of the fans who attended and would go on to become influential musicians in their own right.

The Smiths, Stone Roses, the Chameleons, Doves, the Wedding Present and Chumbawamba – members from all these bands were all influenced by what they witnessed in the fields between Bury and Rochdale.

On stage, a diverse mixture of hippy idealists, anti-establishment punksters and protest singers created an unforgettable mix.

"The festival brought together a lot of different factions of people," said Chris "They were all from slightly diverse, left-field cultures and they threw their lot in and contributed something."

Tony Wilson, who launched Factory Records, helped compere the event in 1978, the Durutti Column played only their fourth ever gig at the event, The Fall were festival regulars

"I think you could say a lot of seeds were germinated there," said Chris.

Remarkably, Deeply Vale remained true to its free festival principles until it ended in 1979 – two smaller festivals were held at Pickup Bank near Edgworth in 1980 and 1981.

"I think what killed it was the Thatcher years," said Chris. "When we started there was such a thing as community spirit and people working together.

"Also it got to the point where there were two factions. With anything that grows as it had done, you always get them.

"One school of thought was just to carry on and ignore the authorities and not meet licensing conditions and just do it. Then there were people like me who thought the only way we could carry on with this was within the system but if you do that you inevitably become part of the system.

"It got to the stage that it needed some sort of organisational body and people to stand up and be responsible for licensing and health and safety and maybe Deeply Vale was just a bit too spontaneous for that."

In 2014, Chris produced a special collection of photographs and six CDs celebrating Deeply Vale.

"That box set triggered the idea for an anniversary gig," he said.

For the anniversary show, as well as attracting many of the original artists, Chris believes he was able to achieve a similar feel to the original festival.

"I think for both events, if you bought a ticket you felt as though you were taking part in something special.

"We put up an outside where there was free music on the Saturday afternoon for those who came early or were just doing their shopping in Heywood. I just thought it would be nice to be give something back to the community which was the ethos from days one."

For the next three years, further 40th anniversary events would be possible, but will Chris be tempted to spend yet more time invested in Deeply Vale?

"At the moment I think I just have to rest on my laurels a bit," he said, "unless someone comes along and wants to finance it or unless the new DVD generates lot of money and then we might try to do something."

Deeply Vale Festival – 40th Anniversary Weekend Limited Edition 3 DVD set and 24 page book is available now from www.deeplyvale.com or 01565 734066