While I think on, some disappointing news about Bury Beer Festival -
it's cancelled this year. The local branch of CAMRA weren't able to
get enough volunteers to fill the key roles for actually organising
it. All very unfortunate, and possibly an indication of the fate that
may befall other festivals if we don't get more, younger people
involved in organising them.

As far as I'm aware, they are hoping to run a festival in Bury again
next year.
--
Pat Ricroft, City of Salford, UK
================================

It has been buried.

Does this mean next years Oldham Beer Festival will go the same way because 
it is run by the same people????


Peter (Urmston)

On 23 Aug, 19:16, "Peter"  wrote:
> Does this mean next years Oldham Beer Festival will go the same way because
> it is run by the same people????

It may do; we must wait and see, I s'pose.
--
Pat Ricroft, City of Salford, UK
================================

In message 
, Pat 
Ricroft  wrote

>While I think on, some disappointing news about Bury Beer Festival -
>it's cancelled this year. The local branch of CAMRA weren't able to
>get enough volunteers to fill the key roles for actually organising
>it. All very unfortunate, and possibly an indication of the fate that
>may befall other festivals if we don't get more, younger people
>involved in organising them.

Is it volunteer fatigue or just that some festivals are no longer 'fun' 
with increased elfin safety intervention and more bureaucracy.

-- 
Alan
news2009 {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

In article ,
   Alan  wrote:
> In message 
> , Pat 
> Ricroft  wrote

> >While I think on, some disappointing news about Bury Beer Festival -
> >it's cancelled this year. The local branch of CAMRA weren't able to
> >get enough volunteers to fill the key roles for actually organising
> >it. All very unfortunate, and possibly an indication of the fate that
> >may befall other festivals if we don't get more, younger people
> >involved in organising them.

> Is it volunteer fatigue or just that some festivals are no longer 'fun' 
> with increased elfin safety intervention and more bureaucracy.

I think it's that different people aren't coming forwards to take on the
work - not necessarily younger, but different people. Recently
retired/redundant people are just as useful in organising as the younger
ones, and probably have just as long a shelf life.

As for H&S, if properly managed it needn't take the fun out of the
festival. It just seems like an unwarranted intrusion to people who've been
successfully organising events for years, and perhaps if that's the case
then new, different people would not find it such an intrusion.

-- 
Chris Ramsbottom
Pandora's Box Healing
36 Coombe Drive, Binley Woods, Coventry, Warks CV3 2QU
www.pandorasboxhealing.com
07768 210273

In article ,
   Alan  wrote:
> Is it volunteer fatigue or just that some festivals are no longer 'fun' 
> with increased elfin safety intervention and more bureaucracy.

Not so much people getting old as people wanting someone else to take over
and they can do something else. It doesn't matter how much you enjoy
anything, when people get to assuming that it is a specific person that
will do something it can become a chore rather than a fun event.
So, yes, you're right about the no longer fun but for a different reason.
I've done just about every different job at a festival and they are still
fun for me because I'm not doing what I used to do.

Health and Safety gets a bad press because of the jobsworths that sometimes
get involved.
The truth is that it is simply a small set of rules, which you can set
people working within and then just get on with things.

-- 

Steve Pampling

On Sun, 23 Aug 2009 19:16:24 +0100, "Peter" 
wrote:

>Does this mean next years Oldham Beer Festival will go the same way because 
>it is run by the same people????
>
>
>Peter (Urmston) 

Oldham WILL most definitely take place as it is a joint event with the
Mayor of Oldham and has different logistics - an easy hall with a
massive goods lift for a start - so don't worry on that score.

For Bury in an awkward hall, with a lot of heavy lifting and a lack of
Bury based volunteers, we couldn't impose the workload on so few.  The
same old, tired geezers that did it 20 years ago, me included.

It is sad, but also we are up against a lot of other beer fests in the
area.  A difficult one, but Bury, sadly MAY have run its course,
unless we get new, younger and more people to run it.  It has to be
fun for the volunteers too.

Peter Alexander
Chairman
Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA)
Rochdale, Oldham and Bury Branch
www.tandlemanbeerblog.blogspot.com
Peter