Organisers left with ‘no alternative but to cancel’ Gorey show
ORGANISERS of the Gorey Agricultural Show have made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s event.
The 161st show was due to be held on June 20 and expected to attract over 8,000 people. With months of uncertainty over the Covid-19 crisis still to come, show chairman Willie Cecil said that, although it was a difficult decision for the committee, it was ‘the only sensible outcome’ at this time.
‘Over the last few weeks, we have investigated every possibility to continue to plan for our show. However, as the impact of Covid-19 continues to develop, it has become clear that we have no alternative but to cancel,’ said Mr Cecil.
‘Even though our show is several months away, it is impossible in these extraordinary times to predict whether public events will be allowed in June, but, in any case, there is a great deal of work to be carried out in the months leading up to the show and these are impossible given the current level of restrictions.
‘The well-being and safety of our exhibitors, visitors, organisers and all those involved with the running of the show is of paramount importance to us and, taking into account the evolving situation, we were left with no alternative but to take this action.’
While the show may not be going ahead this year, Mr Cecil has urged the public to get behind local businesses who support the event in these difficult times.
‘We receive tremendous support from local businesses through sponsorship and trade stands annually and, as they have suffered huge financial difficulties, we believe it would be unfair to expect them to support our show this year. Instead, we would encourage everyone to support our sponsors by shopping local as life begins to return to normal.’
While disappointed, the committee is already ploughing its energy into preparing for next year’s show, which has been pencilled in for Saturday, June 19, 2021
‘Hopefully, by working together as a community, we can stop this virus and come back bigger and stronger in 2021,’ said Mr Cecil.