WE SHOULD not be surprised that hundreds of complaints have been received following the decision to commercialise last weekend’s Windermere Air Festival.

The Glebe is a public park and it is understandable that the decision to charge people to enter has upset locals and visitors alike.

Also, we should be sympathetic with traders who claim they lost out on business because food and drinks vendors were brought in from outside the area.

However, such an outcome was always going to be a risk once the decision was made by Windermere Rotary Club to hand the event over to a private company.

Without this arrangement, there would have been no show this year, as Rotary Club spokesman Clive Langley makes clear.

So the question has to be asked - was it worth risking the upset of visitors and traders to ensure the 11th air show could go ahead?

On balance, probably yes.

Nearly 40,000 people descended on Bowness and many local traders would have benefitted from this, particularly accommodation providers.

Indeed, it is estimated that the air extravaganza actually boosts the local economy by £4 million.

As Mr Langley suggests, some tweaking of arrangements will be needed in the future to try to minimise complaints - but you are probably never going to please everyone with an event of this size and complexity.

Once the decision was made to make the show a commercial venture, it was inevitable that additional costs would be incurred.

The air festival came about because the RAF wanted to say thank you to locals for tolerating decades of low flying exercises and the aeronautic displays were offered by the service free of charge.

Once the show was commercialised, this concession was not available.

With these extra costs – and a reduction in grants because of the commercial nature of the venture this year – the risk was always going to be that no money would be made for charity.

Traditionally, the event has been a fundraising vehicle for Windermere Rotary Club and the new arrangement was that 25 per cent of the profits would go to charitable causes.

But as no profit was made, this is sadly not to be.

It is clear now that the long-term viability of the air festival is now in doubt because it has proved to be a financial nightmare, whether you run it as as charitable event or a commercial enterprise.

However, the private organisers at least deserve praise for having a go.

Let’s hope they’re not the last to try.