SOUTH SOMERSET NEWS: Kingsbury May Festival is cancelled for 2017 due to safety reasons

ORGANISERS of the successful Kingsbury May Festival have taken the reluctant decision to announce that plans for this year’s event have been scrapped due to a number of public safety issues.

The long-running festival has grown over the years and now attracts thousands of people to the village from around the area.

But with the ever-increasing numbers attending the festival the need for more stringent safety requirements also increases along with costs.

And it has got to the stage where the festival organisers have decided that they need to take a year out in order to take stock of what is needed to be done to meet the required safety needs.

The organisers announced on social media on Sunday (January 8, 2017) that there will be no festival this year – but it will be back with a bang (not literally) in 2018.

A statement said: “It is with great sadness that the Kingsbury May Festival Committee announced that it will not be able to organise the 2017 festival.

“In many ways we have become victims of our own success. The festival has grown enormously in recent years and now attracts some 5,000 visitors and these numbers bring with them quite serious safety issues.”

The South Somerset Safety Advisory Group, which consists of council and emergency services representatives, has raised a number of concerns falling into three main areas.

Ensuring clear and unrestricted access for emergency vehicles to all areas of the site including street, fields and car parks.

Provision of a second large emergency exit for the Saturday evening Music in the Marquee event.

The clear separation of pedestrians and vehicles – particularly at the top of the Church Street  and the routes between the Methodist Church, Wyndham Arms and disabled car park.

The statement continues: “SSSAG work in an advisory capacity and we must take on board their input in our planning for the protection of people attending the festival and also ourselves as festival organisers.

“The issues can be resolved but only with large expenditure – and considerably more time. We will work with SSSAG to come up with solutions to all the safety issues raised.

“Given the uncertainties and timelines involved – at the time of decision there were only 16 weeks to go before the festival – we had to make a decision based on the information to hand could not delay any further as we would need to book attractions, stallholders, bands etc. We also wanted to provide as much notice as possible to all our supporters.

“However, this is not the end of the festival! We are determined to put on a better and safer festival in 2018 and other events will still take place in 2017 such as the Good Friday Walk and the Withy Workshop.

“We are also considering a number of small additional fundraising community events to take place during the year.”

The statement concluded: “This was a very difficult decision as we know the festival is popular and provides a unique and much-loved community event which also brings important funds to local organisations, charities and businesses.”

PHOTOS: Taken during a previous Kingsbury May Festival.

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