Death of a country fair

ash243

Well-Known Member
as you know we do a number of country fairs around the country just received this email
"It is with enormous sadness and regret that the Directors and Committee of Lowther Driving Trials and Country Fair announce that the decision has been taken to cancel plans for the 2010 show due to be held on the 6th -8th August and to close down the show.

Lowther Driving Trials rents the site and is an independent company limited by guarantee with charitable aims.

A number of factors including the recession , increasing costs and decreasing income combined with changing weather patterns, enforcing a change in the layout and reduction in size of the show, mean that it is no longer viable. This is a massive blow for all concerned, for Cumbria and for the Northwest."

Is this a sad indictment of our times as I already know of Five shows this year already that will not be going on any more in 2010 due to increased cost. How do you take the countryside to the masses and let them see what our pastimes pursuits and interests are?
 
It doesn`t surprise me at all.
I still can`t fathom how they need to charge nigh on £20 to get in the gates at many shows.
It`s a shame because some shows have been around for generations.
basil.
 
basil said:
It doesn`t surprise me at all.
I still can`t fathom how they need to charge nigh on £20 to get in the gates at many shows.


Basil i think you are wrong with that statement ..

£20 is extremely good value imho for the amount of hours spent entertained at these shows and even though a family ticket can make you look twice it still remains huge value for money when compared with some of the rubbish thats aimed at kids..

Terry
 
Well I think twenty quid is a fair old wack in these times Terry, me and Fran went to the Midlnd this year cost us nearly forty quid love the show but we both said it was just to much money and won't be bothering next year.
At the end of the day it is really a big old market place, albeit in a nice setting but if they started charging £20 each to go into a shopping arcade how long would they be in business.
If it was a tenner I'd not even flinch but twenty is a step to far.
 
Though I agree with you on the price issue for the entry to the public. As a trader I take the same size plot on all shows 3 meter frontage by 15 meter deep the show organization don’t provide anything for me apart from the grass I stand on I can pay anything from £50 for a one day show to £2000.00 for the CLA I did not do the midland this year as we could not afford to attend. Though I must say at all shows last year in the past years I have all ways seen people with bags and usually lots of them walking around having parted with their hard earned cash. but all the traders last year said the same people had no bags they are not spending there money know of one events company going if not gone belly up I know of several shows we were due to do again this next year that simply lost so much money last time out they can’t afford to run them
 
it's a shame it's came to that but £20 is a lot off money, BUT if u go to a football game it'll be £15 scottish1st division, £25 scotland international game, even more english premiership, never been up to murrayfield for rugby for years as too dear but used to be £35. and thats for 80/90 mins wheras at a game fair you can generally spend all day and still not see it all, so it really is not that bad when u think about it.

i also think the game fairs are going down hill, at the scottish this year there was only 1 shop selling top end scopes which was the reason i went up for. the rest only poor to average stuuff that i wouldn't put on an airgun and had never heard of the makes up to £200 or so.
all the stalls seemed to lack real quality gear and there is only so much realtree/advantage cammo u can look at, it really is getting more like a gaint ex army barra's every year.(sorry ash if u sell cammo gear it's jist every stall seems to sell it).
plus the internet will be hitting the stalls hard as before anything ur local gunshop never had u waited till gamefair time now u jist go online and it's delivered to ur door.
it's a shame but things are changing
 
change

I suspect that people go to shows for a day out and shop on the internet. This will definately cause traders at the shows more and more problems
 
A lot of the smaller shows & fete's are crippled by insurance costs , there's a small but commorative day for the battle of towton near me all run by volunteers & relying on donations from the visitors , one of the guys told me they need £2000 just for the insurance & they rely on donations from the visitors that turn up that day , dial in a bit of crap weather & recession & your sunk.
 
My personal take on this is, I feel ripped at the fuel cost to get there, I feel ripped at the gate, I feel ripped when getting a bite to eat & drink, I certainly haven't seen any prices worth going there for, I have seen more rubbish/non shooting, fishing stuff creeping in, ergo, no more game fairs. :(
 
Back
Top