ORGANISERS of the First Aid Music Festival are predicting a much bigger and better event with a change of location to Okehampton Showfield and a new date.
Arrangements are
being made to rebook top acts which agreed to appear in May, including the Honeyz, Damage and the Three Degrees, and with the extra month to prepare for the festival it is believed even more stars will sign up to perform.
People who have already made reservations will be given a full refund or priority bookings for the revised date.
Trustees of the First Aid charity set up to help people whose livelihoods have been affected by the foot and mouth crisis, confirmed this week that with its dedicated facilities for large events, the showfield would provide a more suitable venue than Simmons Park and has a larger capacity to deal with the unprecedented demand the event had generated.
Trustee Tim Jones, who is also a member of the Government's Rural Task Force, said that after consultation with local community and public sector groups it was resolved the festival should be relocated.
He said scheduling the event for Simmons Park had created some problems and it was becoming clear that if they went ahead, some objections would have been raised at the licensing meeting tomorrow (Friday).
'I was absolutely
convinced that the festival should be in the middle of town because it would have produced maximum benefits for local businesses, but there were some genuine concerns, particularly with the public access issue of the park and possible disruption to Okehampton College pupils taking their GCSEs while the equipment was being set up.'
Mr Jones said there was an ancient law that stated Simmons Park could not be closed on a Sunday and although it was felt this could be overcome by keeping a small area open to the public, they were having difficulty finding a way around the health and safety regulations.
With time running out, it was decided to reschedule the festival and hold it at the showfield, with permission from the Okehampton Show Committee, which was already used to hosting large events. Car parking could also be provided on-site.
The event is expected to attract 60,000 people over the three days and raise up to £1-million which will go back into the local economy.
Mr Jones added that the showfield could cope with larger numbers of people than Simmons Park.
'The organisers have satisfied themselves that these new arrangements will greatly enhance both the quality of the event and the charitable benefits without compromising the health, safety and traffic management
issues,' he said. 'The site will also minimise the environmental impact on the residents of Okehampton.'
Opportunities will be extended to all local businesses to participate at the new site and shuttle buses will be operating throughout the weekend to bring festival-goers into town.
Trader Donald Rooke said he was disappointed that the festival would be out of town but it was still a wonderful thing for the area and would put Okehampton on the map.
Manager of S J Sports Simon Litchfield said he was delighted with the opportunity the organisers had given for businesses to trade at the festival for three days.
Sergeant Dave Casley at Okehampton said the later date gave police more time to prepare and evaluate proper staffing for the event and to work with the other authorities with regards to traffic management and health and safety.
He said: 'Without doubt the showfield is a more suitable site — at the end of the day everybody wants this festival to work but we have to think of safety first.'
Festival co-ordinator Suzanne Watt said everyone was working around the clock to see the festival happen and despite the problems with Simmons Park the event had not lost its impetus.
'We realise the change of venue and date may be disappointing for some, however, I do not believe the impetus of the festival or its aims have been lost, in fact, they have probably been enhanced by providing a safer environment for all concerned,' she said.
'The added time is also an advantage as it allows us to explore the possibilities of booking even larger mega stars.'
Continue to read the Okehampton Times for the latest festival details.