History:

Eco-Arcadia was originally Tom's idea. It came into being as a result of many years of working at festivals and events on other peoples' projects and wanting to create one of his own. Compensation from a road accident gave him the opportunity to put such a show together.
Feeling there were enough cafes, bars, sound systems, stages etc… already, it had to be something new. He wanted it to have an environmentally friendly ethos but be entertaining at the same time.
Tom had the idea for the Pinball Arcade. It was something he'd not seen at outdoor events before and was undoubtedly entertaining. But he was concerned about its eco-friendly aspect.
"I remembered reading about BioDiesel. I figured the arcade could be run using power generated from that. Not only was it environmentally friendly but was, as far as I could tell, a really good alternative energy source which was getting very little positive publicity; something it richly deserves.
I had a meeting with Planet Fuels, who were making BioDiesel to E.C. garage forecourt standards from recycled cooking oil. They liked the idea, agreed to work with me and supply the fuel for the project. I then asked my friends Num and Giselle to get involved as crew, and Eco-Arcadia was born."
Eco-Arcadia attended 3 outdoor events in 2003, and was well received at each. This drove us to go for it and we increased to 8 festivals over the summer of 2004 (see review). We are hoping to increase this number in 2005.
Personal histories:
Tom Raphael has been involved in the Festival/Travelling scene since the end of the 1980's. Since then, he has worked in most areas of the Festival Industry, from Site Plumbing and Tent Erection, through Cafe and bar work, to crew management.
He has also driven various bands and entertainers around the U.K. and Europe, notably Head Mix and Nucleus Roots. Tom presently works as Local Crew for gigs at venues in Brighton and also as a dj, playing a variety of funky dance music.