Beachdown Festival cancelled
By Mike Ashworth | September 1, 2009
It’s just over a week since I received a phone call from a friend asking me if I knew any high net worth individuals who might be able to step in at the last minute and save Beachdown Fesitval. I wasn’t able to identify anyone in time although I do believe others were, however it still wasnt good enough, asthe clock was ticking. Beachdown then had to issue the news that they were forced to pull the plug on the 2009 Festival.
There has been all sorts of vile posts made about the directors of the Company and it’s well out of order. I’ve not yet seen any of them, as I’m not in Brighton at present, however I’ve had it on good authority that they are absolutely gutted about this and the press stories which state this are correct.
Perhaps if more people knew what hard work Darren Murphy, Joe Pidgeon etc. had put in to to make this festival a success they wouldnt be so quick to judge. Their hearts were in the right place and motives were genuine, they didnt set out to rip people off.
Whilst I don’t necessarily agree that it’s the fault of Lloyds Bank in Brighton for this failure (using the cause - effect process, or asking a series of questions “why” will take you deeper an to the root of the problem) they at least tried to do something for Brighton.
Brighton is full of people who conjure up the most wonderful ideas either whilst drunk or high as a kite and it heartens me that in this case these were not some pipe dreams but something they put into reality.
Their is a phrase I use “It’s all gone a bit Brighton” which pretty much means the sort of ideas that get taked about and nothing happens, in this case completely the opposite.
When the dust has settled, people should take their hats off to these guys for giving it a go.
I’ll just float an idea, perhaps something contentious, however if the “party people” of Brighton had actually bought their tickets months earlier (rather than leaving it to the last minute like so many other events) then perhaps they wouldnt have been in this mess.
Topics: Recreation |
3 Responses to “Beachdown Festival cancelled”
Comments
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3:00 pm on December 22nd, 2009
I was interested to read your post, albeit sometime after the event in question. Festival season may seem a distant memory with the current climate but to me and countless other ticketholders, stallholders and volunteers, last summer’s beachdown fiasco has not been forgotten.
It seems you are aware of the contradiction you have made within your own post. If, on September 1st, it had been just over a week since you were contacted re. your potential rich mates, presumably this happened c. Monday 24th, the same day on which sales of day tickets for the festival were announced - widely regarded as a last ditch attempt to squeeze as much money as possible from the public.
Other than pointing out this glitch in your theory that Joe Pidgeon and his director friends are good honest blokes who and trying to do the right thing, the purpose of my writing is this: it’s four months on now. The dust has settled. Promises about refunds are made and then broken. Where is the money we are owed?
I think we all know the answer to that question. Wish your friends a very Merry Christmas from me, and all the best for a prosperous 2010.
9:01 pm on December 30th, 2009
Hi Alison, Thankyou for taking the time to comment.
I don’t really know too much about specific dates regarding ticket sales however is it possible that the last minute sale of other ticket types was actually an attempt to raise sufficient sums to pay the people who were about to withdraw their services?
It went tits up, this much we know. At least they tried to do something great for brighton, a lot of people in Brighton just sit on their arses planning a revolution from a chair in the pub.
12:54 pm on December 31st, 2009
Having re-read your comment, i’m wondering if by “last ditch attempt to squeeze money out of the public” you were implying that they knew the festival was doomed with no hope of survival?
If that is the case then what you are suggesting is fraud Alison.
Whilst we believe we can post whatver we like on the internet with no come back that is not the case.
What you have just done is possibly libelled them. If it is, I hope you have deep pockets.
For more information on basic UK libel law here is a link
http://www.urban75.org/info/libel.html