Nobody could have foreseen the torrential downpours which devastated what should have been the event of the year for many people, just like nobody was prepared for a tornado in Birmingham England, not Alabama.
The work put into the event by the organiser was evident and I congratulate him for bringing this sort of event to North Yorkshire, it is fair to say that we are usually forgotten by our Southern friends and rarely get the opportunity to enjoy such a feast of entertainment in the openair.
Whilst I feel that the best was made of a bad lot on Thursday, I do feel and I'm sure many, many other folk feel that there should be some form of recompense for what happened.
In our case there were four precious days off work between us, £40 for the purchase of two tickets, which incidentally remain in pristine condition in my purse, we bought two t shirts at a cost of £22 to show our enthusiasm for the cause, one CD at £10 and around £30 on drinks on Wednesday night. Add to this the massive dissapointment and anti-climactic feeling experienced when we didn't get to see a single band and our attempts to gain entry to the pub were thwarted. To top it all I have a bad cold too!
There are many tales of woe I'm sure and I feel this should be taken into consideration. It would be totally unfeasible to expect a full refund of ticket costs but a 50% reduction on next years ticket cost to those who can present a 2005 ticket would go a long way to show appreciation and respect for those loyal "Blakey fans" who rally round to keep the successful fire of Blakey Music burning.
We will still be travelling to the Lion to see as many bands as we can but feel that this should be put to bed with a compromisory gesture. Do you agree?
Personaly speaking I dont think a refund should be expected, if you take the large events that take place they all state in their terms and conditions that in the event of cancellation all costs wil be covered before any refund is given, I feel that Paul & his team did more than any body could ever of expected of them, im sure alot of other events would not of even started given the weather. If Paul decides to give a refund then thats up to him but I hope he covers his costs before doing so. I for one wont be asking for anything back and I would encorage all others to follow suit. The verbal abuse that the guys recieved were really uncalled for, I hope those responsable will have the decency to email Paul and apologise, as for the idiots who vandalised the stage, there is no room for people like that in this world and I hope one day they get a right good beating.
Sorry you feel that you were so let down, but we like many other patient fans used our tickets to gain entry to the festival field and managed to see five acts who must be applauded for simply getting on stage! It was suggested early on in the day that if the entire event was cancelled then a refund of £15 would be given to all with a £5 nominal charge made to help cover expenses. However, like many others we had decided that we would not accept any refunds as a gesture to Paul in appreciation for his continued hard work throughout the year in bringing original music to a very grateful audience.
I don't think we should expect any reductions or refunds. As a regular camper I have paid at least £10 per night to stay at campsites with poorer facilities than Blakey. I have also been rained off several campsites and wouldn't dream of asking for a refund. The weather in this country is so unpredictable we just have to make the most of a bad job. Consider yourself lucky that they gave us free camping. Me and the gang I went with had a fantastic time.
We for one don’t want or expect a refund. As it has been said a lot of work and outlay went into putting it on. I only hope if Paul DID make anything and I am sure he did he uses it to make better plans JUST in case we have bad weather next yr. I am sure a lot of people could suggest things.
Just for the record we are from Hartlepool and we bought tickets in advance and took time of work and bought 2 hoodys, which are bloody fantastic design and will be proud to wear
Mick… Helen
Personally I would not expect a refund - its nobody's fault - you can't predict the weather and I am sure that the organisers have had more problems, losses and dissapointment that anyone. If everyone expects a 50% discount on next years tickets then it won't happen cos the poor buggers will run at a loss to begin with. They tried their best - it was impossible to carry on in those conditions.
We knew the weather was going to be shit, but still travelled 200 miles and took the chance (British Stiff Upper Lip!!). Many people also took the chance and, unfortunately, the weather beat the event in the end. Like you we spent £40 on tickets, and now have two hoodies which we have had to cross half the band names off of as we didn't get to see them! - I'm afraid this is Britain and we all know what the weather is like here! No one is to blame or should be made accountable for it.
One thing I would suggest for a harmonious future event - people get really hacked off when they don't know whats going on. It would have been good if they could have had some kind of PA system going so that they could let people know that it was definitely off rather than keeping us hanging on not knowing, they could have let us know. Also they could have tried to put some kind of warning on the website at the earliest opportunity, as I understand a lot of people checked it before leaving home just in case, only to be frustrated by the event being cancelled on their arrival.
I don't remember the event being cancelled!!! Me and my band The Daftness, although we didn't get to play as things were getting too dangerous on stage, had a brilliant 2 nights and got to see at least 5 bands on the outside stage and a few acoustic sets in the pub. So as far as I'm concerned the festival went ahead, just not quite as planned.