Galtres Festival destroy Traders Lives

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

The articles of the subsidiary require that all profits are passed to the charity. From the most recent accounts to be found on the Charity Commission web site.

I wonder what the Charity Commission's definition of profits is, and also wonder if it coincides with the definition of the people who were in charge at Galtres Festival Trading Ltd? How much clout has the Charity Commission got in this area / has it got the resources necessary to operate as an effective governing body?

[airds]

loads of good info here (in the comments section)

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/11478034.Galtres_Parklands_Festival_in_cash_pledge_to_traders/?ref=rss

and the old website is still available here (if you need to check anything)

http://www.galtresfestival.org.uk/news.cfm

They have just changed the front page, but Im sure that will change very shortly

[Qwerty12]

loads of good info here (in the comments section)

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/11478034.Galtres_Parklands_Festival_in_cash_pledge_to_traders/?ref=rss

Interesting to see that the York Press has closed the comments section. I wonder is it anything to do with Houston's former employment as a 'journalist' and other venture as promoter of the York City online listings guide? Surely not!

[Ringo_Spar]

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/2199678

The creditor's meeting happens on 3pm, Friday, 3rd October at The Bar Convent, York.

Details in the link, but you need to declare yourself as a creditor by midday, Thursday 2nd October. As well as a channel for the traders who've had their takings held by the now insolvent company, perhaps this is a way for people who had money left on their G-Cards to register their debt and attempt to get some of it back.

[Qwerty12]

http://www.chamberlain-co.co.uk/company-dissolution-top

I realise this might be a case of stable doors etc but the link will take anyone who has an interest in the winding up of Galtres Trading to the Insolvency Practioner appointed to handle the companies affairs.

Whilst trying to find out information regarding the licensing of the festival I came across the link below detailing Correspondence betweenthe festival and local councillors; interesting to note Mr Houstons contact details In these links - all in the public domain!

http://www.york.gov.uk/site/scripts/google_results.aspx?q=Galtres+festival

This link Shows the number of requests to the City of York who licence this event made under the Freedom of Information guidance

Edited October 4, 2014 by Qwerty12

[outtolunch]

I sent an email to Chamberlain and co wishing to be added as a creditor before the cut off time but have to date received no reply but even if on the list don't expect much back from that

but the good news is Paypal has refunded the early bird so if anyone else paid for an early bird with paypal and not claimed best hurry up as I think the desdline expires soon

[outtolunch]

an update on facebook

People who have bought earlybird tickets, Friends membership or merchandise they've not received may be entitled to a refund if they file a dispute with PayPal.
That doesn't mean we're saying there won't be a 2015 festival - not at all - it's just that the company situation is still being unravelled and there's a way to go before the situation is clear. And there's a time limit for refunds.
Of course, if you get a refund, there's nothing to stop you buying a new ticket for 2015 at a later stage. And if you don't it's likely the ticket you've already bought will be honoured by the company operating next year's event. Just all a bit uncertain right now. Sorry to everyone that it all got so complicated.
We'll post updates here as soon as we can

fortunately paypal has recently increased the time limit to claim for ticket disputes from 45 to 180 days so still time to claim

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

an update on facebook

People who have bought earlybird tickets, Friends membership or merchandise they've not received may be entitled to a refund if they file a dispute with PayPal.

That doesn't mean we're saying there won't be a 2015 festival - not at all - it's just that the company situation is still being unravelled and there's a way to go before the situation is clear. And there's a time limit for refunds.

Of course, if you get a refund, there's nothing to stop you buying a new ticket for 2015 at a later stage. And if you don't it's likely the ticket you've already bought will be honoured by the company operating next year's event. Just all a bit uncertain right now. Sorry to everyone that it all got so complicated.

We'll post updates here as soon as we can

fortunately paypal has recently increased the time limit to claim for ticket disputes from 45 to 180 days so still time to claim

That could be read as a damage limitation exercise. Am I missing something? I'm reading it as trying to get punters to use Paypals slush fund for these things rather than be a creditor of the busted company ie lowering the company's creditor responsibilities by fucking over another non related company.

[airds]

just accidentally clicked on my Galtres Bookmark, and it has changed because

"The Reviews Are In !"

Several reviews have been posted, most seem to have missed the big picture

After a quick glance, the only one that even hints at any problems is

Gig Junkies - Simon Saynor

which adds the following line at the bottom on the review

"The odd admin issue aside it is just about perfect."

Looks like they are going to try again next year with the name Parklands

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

The Charity Commission wrote a response to me indicating that they agreed that they should look into the charity further and that of the roles of it's trustees. I believe that they will perform their civic duty accordingly.

[eFestivals]

The Charity Commission wrote a response to me indicating that they agreed that they should look into the charity further and that of the roles of it's trustees. I believe that they will perform their civic duty accordingly.

yeah, cos they've done such a great job over the likes of that great charity called Eton.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

The last sentence was a little tongue in cheek. I suspect they are restrained by resources rather than a desire not to do what is expected of them. Then you can add on that this charity and it's trustees may have technically complied with guidelines, even if many of us think that they may not have adhered to the moral fabric behind such guidelines.

[eFestivals]

The last sentence was a little tongue in cheek. I suspect they are restrained by resources rather than a desire not to do what is expected of them. Then you can add on that this charity and it's trustees may have technically complied with guidelines, even if many of us think that they may not have adhered to the moral fabric behind such guidelines.

Nah, it's not resources, it's policy. To a large extent, the UK's charity sector is 'welfare' for the establishment, and it gets gamed no less than benefit claimants might try to game the (real) welfare system.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Nah, it's not resources, it's policy. To a large extent, the UK's charity sector is 'welfare' for the establishment, and it gets gamed no less than benefit claimants might try to game the (real) welfare system.

I guess you are right. I used to work for a registered charity. It was set up by philanthropists who must be revolving with anger in their graves right now at the self serving force it has become. As usual, it was the top brass who ensured that they got what they wanted at the expense of the 'customers'. And all this done via expensive consultants. One year they told us to stop spending as much money as we had been doing on customers. They saved £1Million that year and the department head told his cronies that it was a £1Million efficiency saving that he had masterminded. No it wasn't. It was just that the customers were getting less than they used to get, that's all. Anyway, my blood's beginning to boil at the thought of it, so I'll leave it there.

[5co77ie]

I see there's been a proposal for a Code of Practice for the festival industry for using RFID for payments. I have my issues with it. At present it appears that a code of practice is being drawn up for a particular bespoke system which assumes no festival will use the real world solutions - such as taking cash payments using contactless technology.

I don't know the ins and outs of it but it appears to come down far more on the side of a festival organisers than the traders.

I'm wary of Cashless systems anyway, despite the apparent news that festival goers love queueing to top the things up, and having to go elsewhere to top them up - like collecting bloody tokens! I don't see their benefit. Contactless is now taking up in the public arena - on people's phones and credit cards.

It seems strange that festival organisers wouldn't use a system that relies on Cashless using this available technology. It too is easier than tokens - the only focus change between the two is that it appears to be that the festival would pay the trader rather than the trader paying the festival.

I'm not sure that's a sensible stand point, unless the traders weren't independent and the festival ran all the sales points on site. That's a remodelling of the festival landscape, turning events into theme parks - and we all know how good their food concessions are.

Whilst it's probably true that buying festival ready Cashless hardware may be more reliable, contactless uses wifi/4g and existing payment machines traders would be using elsewhere too. Most don't just trade at festivals.

Cashless is also a closed system, and I can't see that makes more sense, unless you're hoping your punters are going to forget to spend all their money, or there's someway of making cash from the system why adopt it?

Surely providing contactless systems for festivals would be more looking to the future' than the same system running cashless - I'm genuinely interested in why 10 years from now cashless would be considered a viable alternative for festival organisers, okay festival organisers may want complete control of everything sold on site - but that's not really protection for the traders - that's a monopoly for the organiser.

Despite Contactless using real cash transactions and organisers using some kind of free software like Quest Venue Manager allows organisers and traders to track all transactions made on payment terminals, and use POS software - exacty the same benefits of the closed Cashless system and the trader can still use it elsewhere - meaning the trader is more likely to foot the bill to buy the tech rather than the Festival organiser. Unexpensive dongles can also be provided by festival organsers and be added to any old digital terminals traders use which may not be visible on a QVM system.

The advantage for traders of using a public system that's a.) free and b.) utlises payments which the general public are getting more used to using (via phone or bank card) and hardware that can be used in a real world environment is surely more sensible than a bespoke system?

I'm unsure this Code of Practice is a 'positive process' set up to protect the customer but more to promote closed RFID banking systems, which are likely as technology moves on to be more expensive than the sytem that will be used off festival sites in shopping centres, supermarkets, and high streets. It could be viewed as a fire fighting exercise on some bad PR.

For festival organisers the ability to control of their festival is bound to attract, but the fact that independent traders will basically be employees of the festival - paid by the festival, rather than taking money and them paying the festival for their pitch will be something each trader will have to decide. Certainly a code to protect their 'wages' is better than nothing. I just remain unconvinced iot's the best solution to breed innovative new caterers at events, and could return to the stale old dietry offerings, and trading stalls of large scale events of a decade ago.

Edited November 11, 2014 by 5co77ie

[eFestivals]

there's nowt as safe as your own cash.

[airds]

I know I have slagged off Galtres G-Card system (mainly because it was poo), but on the positive side of cashless, my son went to Exit & Sea Dance Festivals which use cashless wristbands, and he said it worked great. But the difference was to top up cost pennies and you could top up all over the place (no queues), including the campsite, and you could get your money back at the end.

Cashless isnt such a bad thing if done right, I would like to see one, that you didnt need to topup and it just came out of your bank (which is what happens in shops), and the money went straight to the traders, so no Galtres rip off. This would require the traders to have their own machine PDQ machine (or what ever they are called these days) and a guaranteed internet connection (and that could be the problem)

...or we could just stick to cash

[eFestivals]

...or we could just stick to cash

Why hand control to others when there's absolutely no need?

That's why cash is king, and always will be.

[grumpyhack]

Handling a lot of cash at a festival can risk 'leakage.' It's amazing the number of people who will seize an opportunity to help themselves at the expense of either the bars or the punters.

I've been to festivals where you buy beer tokens that you then exchange over the bar for drinks. That means just one till handling the cash and it seemed to work pretty well. They also rewarded the stewards at the end of each completed shift with some tokens.

[eFestivals]

Handling a lot of cash at a festival can risk 'leakage.' It's amazing the number of people who will seize an opportunity to help themselves at the expense of either the bars or the punters.

I've been to festivals where you buy beer tokens that you then exchange over the bar for drinks. That means just one till handling the cash and it seemed to work pretty well. They also rewarded the stewards at the end of each completed shift with some tokens.

Theft is no more or less a problem for festie stalls than with any retail outlet.

The tokens idea is a crap one. It's designed to get the organisers free money from unspent tokens, and creates extra hassle for the punter. Just like with cashless payment, it's a benefit for the organiser at the expense of the punter.

[5co77ie]

NCASS comment in response to my question above asking Why would festivals use contactless instead of new mobile phone based technology?:

Certainly one for the RFID providers to explain as NCASS elect not to promote specific systems or services in cases such as these. Anecdotal data suggests that the systems are proving increasingly popular with event organisers abroad and at home so it makes sense for us to assume that their usage is likely to increase over the next few years. Whatever the motivation for using them, at present they are in use, and there is a very real problem relating to the relationship between traders and organisers; no consumers were out of pocket in this instance and therefore should be discounted from the argument at this stage.

Where they are in use, cashless payment systems transfer money taken to the organiser, not the trader that made the sale, leaving them open to potentially unscrupulous behaviour, which is what happened over the August bank holiday; there is no standard agreed for how and when (or if) the traders will be paid, leaving them footing the bill for wages, stock and lost income. The code of practice is being developed so that in the event an organiser does elect to use this system (that is their choice), the traders will have a commitment on the payment terms; it is definitely aimed at protecting the businesses that operate at music festivals as well as restoring faith between traders and organisers rather than faith in the method of payment.

NCASS represent, support and campaign on behalf of the independent catering industry, helping to ensure fair trading and security for traders. We cannot and will not dictate which system should be in use at festivals; however when there is scope for specific technology to damage the industry, there is a need for a solution to be provided. The code of conduct works on this basis, but does not seek to suggest that cashless payments are the best choice.

We have only just begun initial discussions, with a further ‘round-table’ planned for the AFO conference on the weekend, but hope to broaden the discussions to address wider concerns in the industry to improve relations between all of the relevant parties. So while it will include practical solutions that will reduce the opportunity for the miss-use of cashless payment systems, it will also begin a much needed dialogue between industry partners about various aspects of the events game. I am not aware of any previous time when industry sectors have got together to discuss new technology, how it will impact all involved and how to prevent its misuse. We see this as an extremely positive step in realising that the events industry can work more effectively with better communication and understanding between the promoters and the service providers.

[airds]

Went to http://pierace.co.uk festival yesterday, and had a brief chat with the lead singer of "The Talks", who informed me that they didnt get paid for Galtres

I always assumed that the bands had been paid out first, and it was the traders and punters who didnt get their money back

[popupgazebo]

None of the traders still haven't receive any cash! And new festival announced just now! So unfair! I am struggling as they have stole my money, but they easily just getting away with it. It has all been forgotten and new victims are on the search by James Houston as he inviting traders to apply for trade 2015.How can that be legal????

[JosefS]

I notice that Festival organiser and charity trustee James Houston managed to hide his Land Rover (that he used for the festival site) from the administrators. Looks like he was in a hurry too, couldn't quite get the old festival logo off.

Edited February 3, 2015 by JosefS

[JosefS]

None of the traders still haven't receive any cash! And new festival announced just now! So unfair! I am struggling as they have stole my money, but they easily just getting away with it. It has all been forgotten and new victims are on the search by James Houston as he inviting traders to apply for trade 2015.How can that be legal????

Because he simply scrapped the old business with the "old" debts and liabilities (half a million) and the non-payment issues and started a new business called Parklands Trading Limited (company number 09216818) which is a subsidary of the Galtres Festival Charitable Foundation (which also has James Houston as the principle trustee). This new business trades from exactly the same address in Easingwold as the bust business. The Charity has about £40,000 in the bank which I assume they are going to use to pay for the festival this year - don't ask me where they got this money from, I haven't a clue. This cash has magically appeared, as they only had a few thousand in the bank this time last year.

Edited February 3, 2015 by JosefS