This occurred again this morning. Here I attempt to recount what I found out.
It's great to be given the time by officers that have their work cut out to provide a good service here in Ulverston.
I voiced the following concerns:
1. The future of the Lantern Procession.
I had got the impression that several of our festivals are in danger of closing because of the cost of policing and therefore asked just how little police involvement could be acceptable in this case.
As I understand the situation - there need be no problem.
Unlike events like the Candlelit Walk that occur off the public highway and therefore don't require any police involvement or cost, the above event does require policing: particularly where road closures are involved and where crossing the major thoroughfares like the A590 is required.
The solution to a low cost event is having well trained volunteer marshalls and a public that respects their directions, with an absolute minimum of the costly police involvement.
To achieve this we need good leadership from the top and in my opinion if this event is to be well run we need both good organisation and good people relations at all levels. These are indeed rare qualities but given the co-operation and the enthusiasm to be found across the community then this can be achieved here in Ulverston.
One of the main problem may be its success. John Fox, the originator of the concept of the Lantern Procession expressed concerns that the event had become too big and well known. Too much publicity could in fact lead to it becoming unmanagable unless wholehearted community support is given.
The other problem is that there is a frustration amongst many of the energetic twenty to forty year olds that would like to help. Many find the present main organiser, Peter Winston, a difficult person to work with.
I seems that the minute a successful idea takes hold then certain people take hold of the reins and the rest of us put up with it because they work so hard. Ulverston is littered with personalities that want to take over little empires and with people who are only too happy to sit back and let them.
Watch out but I suspect we won't have a full blooded Flag Festival this year and the public would be right to ask "Where did all the thousands of pounds of money go?" - I'm told that the organisation behind this particular festival - The Better Town's Team - are now defunct with only a secretary - Peter Winston. Is this correct?
9 comments:
Is there an AGM for election of officers for Ulverston Festivals.
I dont remember one.
Your experience over the flag festival last year should have been an eye opener to any proposed improvement/change.
Alban
There are remnants of artists ex lantern house who would love to revitalise the festivals, but for the yellow house!
Once again , you're coming in with anonymous comments.
Who are you?
Why haven't you got the courage to use your real name?
That wasn't a summary of what you were able to "find out" at all! It was, as ever, a boring summary of your personal opinions on subjects which, if you were honest, are of no concern to the majority of the people of this town.
With one or two notable exceptions, Parade Day, Dickensian, most folk really wouldn't bother if the others fell by the wayside. In particular the Flag Festival is a damp squib and adds nothing to the town. Imagine a party of tourists in Ambleside " Oooh, somewhere called Ulverston has a week when people put up bits of gaily coloured cloth outside their largely u/s shops. Lets all go!"
It ain't going to happen!
Oh but it does!
Try talking to the people outside the Coro who are in Ulverston at the end of May and you'll get a completely different story.
Surely you've realised by now, I'm not interested in what the majority think - better to have a vibrant minority than a dosey community.
I'm off to a meeting of very small but very active group of about eight!
HAVING DONE THE JOB OF FLAGMAN ONE YEAR I CAN SAY THE FEEDBACK FROM VISITORS AND LOCALS WAS IT IS A JOY RERESHING AND WELL WORTH THE EFFORT.
J KELLY
Sorry Chaps, I tend to agree with F Stuart on the issue of most festivals being irrelevant to most people here. The 2 mentioned plus the beer fest are all we need, lets do 3 really well rather than 10 not so well.
Incidentally, how can the Dickensian organisers get away with "see Ulverston as Dickens knew it"? Dickens came no nearer to Ulverston than Lancaster!! We do not need any more of this manufactured heritage, the towns one big lie as it is!
Don't feel in the least sorry, Richy, this blog welcomes dissent.
The main point for me is that there are people who want to get involved because they really enjoy it.
This posting was to clarify the solution for those (the hundreds of people) that think the Lantern Procession is a great event. I certainly do.
Hoewever I get the impression that Peter Winston is suggesting that there is a problem because the cost of policing - for me the problem is Peter Winston and those that have taken over this great event and the get-together in Ford Park afterwards.
I've also been asked by people involved in the latter event for information about the money that is collected there and where it is spent. There is a lot of unhealthy secrecy about the handling of cash in the several of the events that Peter Winston is involved in - a bit more transparency would make us all much happier.
Alban the answer is that I have found it impossible to view the accounts of the Ulverston Better Towns Team (OBTT) which was set up to handle the organisation of the Flag Festival.
When I put in a formal request for this information to Jayne Kendall last year at this time (before being willing to take over the project as requested)it was ignored.
Furthermore she immediately resigned as Chair of this organisation. Ralph Spours then took over and rumour has it that OBTT has disintegrated leaving only its secretary Peter Winston.
Even my attempts to find out this information using Livingstons Solicitors has come to nothing with no reply from them.
"What goes on behind the scenes?" one is tempted to ask.
One would have thought that with an organisation that must have collected in the region of £40,000 (two hundred flags at £200) from flag participants together with grants from various organisations over the past 15 years, these acconts would be available to everyone.
This however doesn't seem to be the way things are done in Ulverston yet.
It would be good to have some information published so that we had more confidence in what is happening instead of all the murmuring that actually goes on.
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