Bid launched to revive Windermere Air Show (From The Westmorland Gazette)
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Bid launched to revive Windermere Air Show
12:00pm Thursday 14th March 2013 in News
By Tom Murphy, Reporter
A PETITION to bring back the popular Windermere Air Show is taking off.
The show was cancelled by organisers Bluestone Events in 2012 due to the ‘economic climate and funding being squeezed’ — but now Paul Bentley, who has a boat on the lake, has launched an online petition to bring the show-stopping spectacle back.
The 47-year-old, from Warrington, said: “I went to the last three shows before it was cancelled - there was a real buzz in the town.
“Everyone I’ve spoken to wants it back, but nobody knows how to go about it. I’ve fired the starting gun and hopefully now we can find a solution.
“Once we have proven there’s enough public demand I hope that somebody will come forward to organise it.”
The Rotary Club of Windermere, who voluntarily organised the show for 10 years, passed it over to events managements company Bluestone Events after the 2010 show. The London-based company, who ran the 2011 show as a commercial event, cancelled it in 2012 because of financial worries — to the dismay of residents and businesses.
But now, Mr Bentley wants a local organisation to bring the Air Show back to Windermere in 2014.
“I just wonder if there’s a way to get local hotels and businesses involved.
“It seems a shame that a company based in London were in control of what should be a fantastic local show,” the married father-of-one added.
The estimated cost to run the spectacle is £40,000 but Mr Bentley said he believed that local businesses would easily recoup that over the weekend.
Tim Farron, MP for West-morland and Lonsdale, said he would do all he could to help save the air show.
“The event has been a major date in the calendar of people who live in the Lakes,” he said.
“We need to try to make sure any new event is focused on the community and I think if local people, businesses and chamber of trade all pull together we can make a big difference."
Adrian Faulkner, secretary of the Windermere and Bowness Chamber of Trade, welcomed the petition and said anyone could organise an air show if they wanted.
“It can only be a boost to the area but we would hope that it goes back to being a charitable event rather than a commercial event,” he said.
“It ran perfectly for 10 years but after the first commercial event, it folded. I think that speaks volumes.
“I wish the guy all the luck and hope to see planes flying over Windermere again soon.”
Already, the petition has attracted around 300 signatures.
To sign the petition visit: www.thepetitionsite.com
Comments(19)
dancer58
says...
5:11pm Thu 14 Mar 13
What do you think local buisinesses make out of the air show , let me tell you now , a relation of mine has a shop in Bowness and there takings go down whilst the air show is on so dont expect too many contributions !
Its a great event I must say and sad that its folded , but at the end of the day its too costly
zaney5
says...
5:22pm Thu 14 Mar 13
The last couple of years it was on were a real disappointment. The weather was bad, prompting an entire days flying to be cancelled and when the flying did resume it was nothing you couldn't witness on an average summers day in the Lakes, watching the RAF doing their low flying practice!
Gaps between what displays there were, were too long, The fair is over-priced and there aren't enough decent ground displays.
If Mr Bentley is so intent on bringing this back, then let him stump up the £40,000 to stage it. Typical offcommer, dictating to the local people.
lakesailor
says...
5:34pm Thu 14 Mar 13
Generally the space available for spectators is limited and the attempts to provide "entertainment" on the ground seems to conflict with the aerial displays themselves.
The commercial attempt to run it was poorly executed.
Sadly it just doesn't add up.
Kendmoor
says...
5:45pm Thu 14 Mar 13
get some acrobatic water sk..i...oh wait
Lakeuk
says...
8:30pm Thu 14 Mar 13
The Glebe is not the best of sites for air display with the tree cover and lots of spectators on the Lake means the safe zone is bigger
life cycle too
says...
11:43am Sat 16 Mar 13
They didn't appreciate what Rotary achieved until it was too late.
If shops will not support it because they lose trade, then the one recourse would be for spectators to pay, as they do at Southport, where they are charged (dearly) by their council to access the promenade.
Spectators have to pay at a football match, or outdoor concert... why not an air show?
Difficult in Bowness when they cannot fence off a suitable area, because some locals don't feel they should pay to access what they THINK they "own".
The other way would be for Council Tax payers to fund it as they do in Sunderland. Their show is supported by concerts and other events which carry on regardless of the weather.
While shops allegedly notice a drop in trade, SLDC car parks (dearer in Windermere than Kendal) are full to over flowing... but they STILL charged Bluestone to use the Glebe!
I noticed one business that claimed they took less money was so busy, customers were queuing along the pavement to get in, while another business that I know objected to food outlets on the Glebe, had long queues, and people that could not be bothered to wait so long, were walking away... lost business!
The Belsfield Hotel charged £10 to use their car park all day, and a voucher was given for £5 off food or drink at the bar - and yet some people were objecting to having to pay... despite it working out cheaper than paying to go in the SLDC car parks for the same amount of time! The Belsfield also offered a great view of the proceedings, and access onto the promenade and to the Glebe.
♪♫♪♫ ☺
wezzyk
says...
8:47pm Sat 16 Mar 13
life cycle too
says...
9:34am Mon 18 Mar 13
If the Air Show were simply part of that, it might have a chance - but who has the time and resources available these days to organise such an event - and can enough visitors afford the cost of attending in the current economic climate?
life cycle too
says...
9:36am Mon 18 Mar 13
A seaplane festival is what is required!!
BillyBob86
says...
10:33am Mon 18 Mar 13
life cycle too
says...
10:53am Mon 18 Mar 13
BillyBob86 wrote:Hmm. If you are going to bring that up, then you should take into account the impact of thousands of feet on our fells, which are wearing away footpaths, and causing all manner of problems.
Does anyone consider the serious environmental impacts of pollution that the airshow brings with it?? I say keep it out of the Lakes. Take your pollution elsewhere by driving to see a show somewhere else.
Fix the Fells are seeking large sums of money to put this right - better to ban walkers and avoid future problems?
When last I looked, the LDNPA were using helicopters to move materials around for these projects - perhaps they could provide a display on their way back to base!
BillyBob86
says...
12:25pm Mon 18 Mar 13
lakeslover1
says...
1:02pm Mon 18 Mar 13
life cycle too
says...
1:19pm Mon 18 Mar 13
lakeslover1 wrote:Oh the irony!
This is the last thing the lake district needs it is alrady over crowded with polluting crowds of tourists, get rid of it for good! I come back here 4 or 5 times a year and i'm sick of being crowded out by tourists.
I felt the same when I went to York for a weekend to get away from tourists in Cumbria - and the place was crawling with tourists too!
zaney5
says...
2:59pm Mon 18 Mar 13
lakesailor
says...
6:59pm Mon 18 Mar 13
BillyBob86 wrote:Ha Ha!
Life Cycle, this is a good point. 2 birds with one stone and all that. What about all the livestock running out of grazing land? Maybe a petition is needed to give them back the fells!
Whilst FOLD and English nature are orgasmic over pointless flowers that you can't see without a magnifying glass there won't be any room for nasty sheep on the fells.
life cycle too
says...
6:38am Tue 19 Mar 13
If you want "quaint" cobbled streets put back - that are difficult to walk on when elderly, or with pushchairs, then bring back rickets, polio and poor sanitation too!
And let;s have children cleaning chimneys too - it will help keep them off the streets.
BillyBob86
says...
11:16am Tue 19 Mar 13
zaney5 says...
3:29pm Thu 14 Mar 13
More like they lost so much money on it after charging people to view from public land.