Stokes Bay Festival 2009

[Dangerous Albert]

I think it's a bit closer to home this time Peter, and someone you'd be familiar with. The post has come from a certain local council's network.

[Medina]

Thanks. I'll reply to the PMs.

On a different note I discovered yesterday that two of the U.K.'s best alternative comedians live in Gosport. Honest! And neither of them are councillors or NIMBYs though I may invite our favourite NIMBY Olgrumpyfy (ak.a. Alan B'Scard) if he'd also like to do a comedy turn.

So... we're looking to add a comedy tent to this year's Festival along with the EA Hub computer games facility which was such a success at the recent (excellent) Wychwood Festival.

Other ideas for extra attractions welcomed!

[Medina]

First, the bad news. The Police objected to the Premises Licence issued by the local Council. A two-day court hearing was due to start on Friday 26 June which could have resulted in the Licence being revoked and this Festival being scrapped (or very seriously curtailed).

Now the good news. Festival organisers have successfully negotiated an agreement with the Police to ensure the Festival goes ahead. The Festival will provide a few more stewards and some minor changes to the site layout. The Police will adopt a more positive approach to the Festival and help ensure its excellent safety record (not a single incident of trouble in three years) continues.

Timings are unaffected. Ten hours of live music every day from 1pm to 11pm and fifteen hours of other activities onsite from 9am to 12 midnight daily.

Just a pity it's cost the Festival several thousand quid and a lot of valuable time to get the Police to agree to measures that the Festival would have happily agreed to anyway!

Any other festivals experiencing police problems this year?

[paddington]

Oh those Police! Mind you I did hear a rumour that the organisers have had to agree to surrender the licence once this years festival has concluded. I also notice that the Zutons have been omitted from the latest flyers in Gosport!

[oxsandra]

Amazing place for rumours, Stokes Bay, it would appear.

Perhaps the flyers you saw were printed pre the Zutons announcement. Were they dated?

Really can't understand why this smashing little festie gets involved in such intrigue

[Medina]

You're absolutely right Sandra. The flyer to which new member Paddington refers was printed back in January before The Zutons were confirmed.

I would caution Board regulars to be wary of any posts from Newbies (or should that be NIMBYs) who only appear here to attack this Festival.

Older members will recall the antics of Olgrumpyfy (aka Alan B'Scard, Chairman of Gosport Conservative Party), Adelaide (his wife) and Brod Boy who all appeared suddenly last year and disappeared as soon as the Festival they tried to stop had successfully taken place.

Paddington wouldn't be linked with them by any chance?

If not, how come Paddington claims to know about the terms of an agreement with the police which have not been published anywhere?

[Bezdad]

You're absolutely right Sandra. The flyer to which new member Paddington refers was printed back in January before The Zutons were confirmed.

I would caution Board regulars to be wary of any posts from Newbies (or should that be NIMBYs) who only appear here to attack this Festival.

Older members will recall the antics of Olgrumpyfy (aka Alan B'Scard, Chairman of Gosport Conservative Party), Adelaide (his wife) and Brod Boy who all appeared suddenly last year and disappeared as soon as the Festival they tried to stop had successfully taken place.

Paddington wouldn't be linked with them by any chance?

If not, how come Paddington claims to know about the terms of an agreement with the police which have not been published anywhere?

[Medina]

We'd be delighted to see you Bezdad and thank you for the message of support - much appreciated.

We have to overcome objections every year from a handful of NIMBYs and the Chairman of the local Conservative Party (who posted here last year as 'Olgrumpyfy') but we always win in the end, see today's Festival Press Release below:

News Release

14.00 Friday 26 June

Contact: **********

POLICE THREAT TO FESTIVAL LIFTED

Court gives Stokes Bay Festival Go-Ahead

A police objection to the Stokes Bay Festival in Hampshire has been successfully resolved following an agreement between the police and Festival organisers for some extra stewards and minor changes to the Festival site plan plus a post-Festival review of the licence in advance of the 2010 event.

The agreement was approved at Portsmouth Magistrates Court today (Friday).

The Court gave the Festival the go-ahead and the magistrates wished Festival organisers "a successful event".

The 5-day festival will now take place as planned between Wednesday 29 July and Sunday 2 August at Stokes Bay near Gosport in Hampshire.

Artists confirmed include The Zutons; The Proclaimers; Seth Lakeman; The Saw Doctors; Oysterband; Adrian Edmondson & The Bad Shepherds; Lunasa and The SAS Band (Spike's All-Stars featuring Paul Young, Fish, Tom Robinson and special guest vocalists).

Festival organisers said they were "absolutely delighted" with the police agreement which lifted a threat to stop the Festival happening this year.

"This is wonderful news and a huge relief. We have always enjoyed a very good working relationship with the police who recognise that Stokes Bay is one of the safest and friendliest festivals in the land.

"The objection to the licence resulted from complaints by a handful of politically-motivated local residents who try every year to stop any music festivals being held at Stokes Bay. It is good news for the vast majority of local residents who support the Festival that it will now go-ahead as planned."

Ends

http://www.stokesbayfestival.co.uk

[BIGNOISE]

We have been following the licence saga with interest...

We played the Festival last year and had a great time. Shame it had to be moved, but hey, its better than no festival.

A quick plea to anyone from the organisers "Please reply to our emails !?"

We think we are playing again this year - but months of emails and a hand delivered letter have produced no replies.

Maybe we should take the hint - but we're a persistent bunch.

(What do you expect from a band with 20 drummers!)

[Dangerous Albert]

Thank God common sense has prevailed at last and that it's full steam ahead.

I'm sure (as in previous years) the "concerns" will prove unfounded and a great music festival will ensue.

Hope that people who maybe have been holding back from buying their tickets because of the uncertainty can now go ahead so that we can create maximum atmos !

[BIGNOISE]

We played the Festival last year and this is just to let you know that Gosport's popular BIG NOISE Samba Band will be playing the Rowner Carnival again this year on Saturday 11th July. Starting from Siskin School in Nimrod Drive at 11:30 a.m. and processing around the local area. We will be doing a static show at 14:30 back at the school grounds. The event is FREE.

We will also be playing the Bridgemary Carnival on the 18th July.

[Medina]

And hopefully you'll be playing Stokes Bay again as well as we finally got around to emailing your leaders today (Tuesday)

Sorry it's taken so long but we had to deal with the usual band of NIMBYs before we could confirm any more bookings for the Festival.

Having now successfully dealt with Alan B'Scard (a.k.a. Olgrumpyfy) and his miserable bunch of NIMBY cohorts I'm not brave enough to take on 20 samba drummers as well!

So... if you'd like a booking... hope someone will reply to my email quicker than I replied to yours!

[BIGNOISE]

Yes we have heard back from the organisers !

We are due to play six sets over the Saturday and Sunday and will be doing some workshops.

Looking forward to seeing everyone there.

We will be the big gang of noisy people with the loud drums and even louder trousers !

[Dangerous Albert]

Yes we have heard back from the organisers !

We are due to play six sets over the Saturday and Sunday and will be doing some workshops.

Looking forward to seeing everyone there.

We will be the big gang of noisy people with the loud drums and even louder trousers !

[paddington]

Where is the camping going to be now the council have refused planning permission for the advertised site?

[oxsandra]

The campsite last year was in a lovely spot. We were able to walk along the beach each morning (ok, then, each afternoon) to the festival.

I believe it is a bit further along the beach this year after the licence review.

We even ventured into the village in search of a cash machine on the Saturday last year and hey, would you believe, the villagers we met were really nice and said how good the festival had been after all the scare stories they had been fed, so you see, you can't believe everything you read

[Privett]

I notice that the Festival Organiser has not been totally open and honest about this year’s Stokes Bay Festival. Both Paddington and Oxsandra asked where the camping site is to be this year. The planned camp site on the Bay House sports field at Gomer Lane needed planning permission, which Medina , who was a senior Councillor for 26 years should have known. For whatever reason he only applied for planning permission on 12/6/09 which was refused on 16/7/09, but an alternative site was offered nearer to the festival site, at Little Woodham Lane.

The site of the Stokes Bay festival according to its website is “held in a picturesque setting at unspoilt Stokes Bay , with its stunning views across the Solent and the English Channel to the Isle of Wight ”. Unfortunately the truth is slightly different with the site being inland 2 miles away from last year’s site. It is a school sports field surrounded on the south and east sides by residential houses, a main road on the west and HMS Sultan on the north side. Check out the site at http://www.multimap.com/maps and type in the post code PO12 3TF and then click on the aerial view.

Medina denigrates people who have legitimate concerns about the sites he chooses to hold his festivals. This year he has provocatively sited it within yards of about 50 houses, without any concerns for the mostly elderly residents. He only managed to get this year's licence by ensuring the Licence Board was biased with his Libdem Councillor colleagues. The appeal from the Police was only settled out of court by his agreement to surrender his Licence the day after the festival ends, which means it cannot be held in future years. As a result of what happened over last year’s festival he pleaded guilty to breaching Gosport Council’s Code of Conduct and was disqualified for being a Councillor for 2 years from the 6th July 2009, see http://www.adjudicationpanel.tribunals.gov...%20decision.doc

[Medina]

Here we go again!

Last year this board was hijacked by local NIMBYs and Conservative Party officers including 'Olgrumpyfy' (subsequently revealed to be Alan B'Scard, Chairman of the Gosport Conservative Association) and 'Adelaide' (his wife) who tried and failed to stop the Festival taking place.

And now they're starting again!

Note that Paddington and Privett are both new members. Neither have posted anywhere else on efestivals. Note also the remarkably similar style between Privett's post and those by Olgrumpyfy last year. Their sole concern is to try and undermine this festival and stop it taking place.

Well they failed last year and they'll fail again!

Don't they realise that people who post here all year round are not stupid. We can recognise a NIMBY festival opponent with a personal / political axe to grind a mile off!

Paddington, Privett and any other newbies who surface here solely for the purpose of slagging off this festival actually help promote the festival by making this thread more entertaining to read.

That boosted our ticket sales last year and I'm sure it will again. Thanks guys and gals!

Edited July 18, 2009 by Medina

[Privett]

It was very interesting to note that apart from a tirade the disgraced and disqualfied ex councillor did not dispute any of the facts on my previous post.

I am not against music festivals as such - in fact I attended last year's festival every day - the problem is where the festival is sited.

[Medina]

I am not against music festivals as such - in fact I attended last year's festival every day - the problem is where the festival is sited.

[paddington]

Look, I'm sure the politics underpinning and seemingly undermining, this festival are fascinating but... where's the camping going to be?

[oxsandra]

Don't bring me into it Privett! As I have been attending festivals for 40 years and even now still attend an average of 10 a year I have seen almost every type of site you care to mention and it doesn't really bother me where the festival is or where the camping is. I merely commented that it was in a nice spot last year. Good music and atmosphere are much more important, and Stokes Bay festival had these in abundance last year which is why I intend to return this year.

I have looked at the site on multimap as you directed and it seems to me to be a reasonably open space for such a small festival. Comparing it to the much, much bigger festival on the neighbouring Isle Of Wight I would say that distance to built up areas in both cases is about the same, but given the different types of music and staging at the two festivals the noise nuisance at the IOW must be much, much greater, yet the IOW seems to welcome their festival with open arms.

Stokes Bay festival is primarily a folk festival. The majority of its attendees are, like me, middle aged teetering on old age, or families. All they want is a pleasant weekend listening to music with like minded people whilst having a couple of beers (and make sure that they are real ale!). They are not going to destroy the neighbourhood in drunken rampages.

I was appalled last year to be told by the traders in the village that they had been warned to board up their windows to prevent damage and looting. For goodness sake! Fortunately the people we spoke to in the village shops were more sensible and were very, very courteous towards us. They certainly seemed to welcome the additional trade.

So far as noise was concerned we could barely hear it in the campsite, so it could hardly have been disturbing to those surrounded by bricks and mortar.

I had hope that after the trouble free event last year all this nonsense would have gone away, but I am afraid that it is again smacking of a bunch of people who will object to this festival no matter what is put in place, and who will only be happy when the festival disappears from their horizons entirely. More fools them is all I can say.

Edited July 19, 2009 by oxsandra

[olgrumpyfy]

P.S. Should have added that the licence hearing for our main site is today (Wednesday 6th May).

The usual objections from Alan B'Scard (a.k.a. Olgrumpyfy) and the local Conservative Party.

Wish us luck!

[olgrumpyfy]

If I knew how to do it, I'd insert an aerial view of the School sports field, in which the Festival will be held.

It is located 1.89 miles from Stokes Bay, surrounded by industrial units.

The Gomer Lane (unlicensed camp site) is about 200 yds from Stokes Bay Beach and 1.7 miles from the Festival site. It is another school sports field.

The site, offered by Gosport Council is an open meadow in the Alver Valley, just under 1/2mile from the Festival site and around 3/4mile from Stokes Bay.

If the distances don't seem to tally, that's because of the differing road routes.

[Medina]

For those who don't already know, 'Olgrumpyfy' is Alan Scard (a.k.a. Alan B'Scard), Chairman of Gosport Conservative Association and self-appointed spokesman for the Friends of Stokes Bay.

Mr. Scard has spent the last two years trying to stop this Festival from taking place.

He actually lives two miles away from the existing site so it doesn't affect him in any way at all, save for his personal hatred of the festival organiser (me!).

His continuing negative posts should be viewed in that light.

P.S. And he's completely (no doubt deliberately) wrong on his location and description of the Festival site! We are not at Brune Park School. We are on the playing fields of the Bay House School which is right by Stokes Bay. If Mr Scard can't even get that right, what hope is there for the poor old boy?

Edited July 20, 2009 by Medina