Issue 31 August 2009 £4.75
Campaign over rising police costs By Christina Eccles AN angry festival organiser has launched a campaign to defend community events – claiming that rising police costs are putting their future in jeopardy. Andrew Osborne – who works on several community events including Strawberry Fair in Cambridge – has had enough of being charged for a police presence at his events and is fighting for this policy to be scrapped. He told The Main Event he is worried that these costs are too high for festival organisers to cope with and that if something isn’t done, organisers of community events and festivals up and down the country will have no choice but to cancel. Andrew has launched an online petition, which has already attracted almost 1,000 signatures, and has approached industry bodies such as the Association of Independent Festivals to build up more support. He said: “Community events are a good expression of society coming together but they are seriously under threat. “I am very concerned. The police
are driving community events to the wall with their policy of charging for policing them. We are calling for police charges to be scrapped – community events should be supported.” Andrew also said that the campaign is targeted at everyone – from organisers of community events to festivalgoers themselves – and that other police forces should follow those in Kent and Cheshire – which have both scrapped the charges. He added: “It seems like this is a postcode lottery. I would like to see the whole country follow the example set by Kent Police and Cheshire Police. I already pay my taxes and that should pay for policing. It should be part of the police’s public service commitment. The police need to get out of the entertainment sector and do what we pay them for, which is policing. “As event organisers, we do not ask the police to come and any sensible organisers will already have security companies in place. As a matter of principle, I do not think these charges are fair. This campaign is growing in strength and I think it is only a matter of time before the police have to do something.”
Tidworth Festival cancelled
Two people have died and more were injured after an accident occurred during the construction of a stage in France. The accident occurred during the setting up for a Madonna concert at the Velodrome in Marseille. Directors from staging supplier ES Group are working with the French authorities to establish more details of what happened. In a statement, the company said: “Our thoughts at this current time go out to the families and loved ones of the two men who died and to those who have been injured. At present, it would not be appropriate to speculate on potential causes of the accident, but we are working closely with the French authorities to investigate what caused this incident.”
THIS year’s Tidworth Festival has been cancelled due to poor ticket sales – despite organisers securing Status Quo as the headline act. The festival took a year off last year and was hoping to come back bigger and better, with plans for three days of entertainment instead of the previous one day event. Festival organiser Baz Reilly told The Main Event that although a lot of people had bought advance tickets, sales were not strong enough to cover the event’s outlays. He said: “The aim of the festival was to generate funds for local schools and community projects. I would like to express my thanks to all the sponsors and people throughout the community who have strived to make the festival a success. As a direct result of this we are aware that people including sponsors, suppliers and ticket purchasers will be out of pocket. Words cannot express our sincere regret.” The Main Event is the official magazine of the National Outdoor Events Association