FESTIVAL FUNDING BOOST
■ ASHBOURNE Town Council has reconsidered a £2,000 funding snub that could have put this year’s summer arts festival events, including the International Streetfest and Picnic in the Park, in jeopardy. It has now reversed an earlier decision not to back an annual event it has always supported.
ASHBOURNE Town Council has reconsidered a £2,000 funding snub that could have put this year’s summer arts festival events, including the International Streetfest and Picnic in the Park, in jeopardy.
The town council has always supported the volunteerrun Ashbourne Festival with grants to the tune of more than £2,000.
But at a meeting earlier this month, councillors voted not to support the event because it did not go ahead in 2020.
Following that meeting, the festival committee spoke of its shock at not being given its usual funding, especially considering the work the festival does to support the town and to lay on a calendar of free events.
But at a virtual meeting of the Finance and Town Hall Committee last night, town councillors listened to a plea from the festival’s committee members before quickly deciding to reverse its decision and to hand over the financial lifeline.
Ashbourne Festival committee member Tim Challans spoke on behalf of the festival team, explaining that if the events did not attract public support and donations, it could lead to problems securing much-needed outside grants from organisations such as the Arts Council.
He said: “When the grant was originally refused, it was on the basis that we hadn’t had any activity last year.
“But there was a considerable amount of activity within our means, and also on the administration side.
“So we would like you to reconsider this on the basis that we did spend your money last year, so it’s not going to be carried forward, and we are going to run a festival this year - not the fortnight-long one as it’s become known, but with events across the year.
“But even so, within June itself we have a number of events planned, mostly outdoor events, among these are Streetfest, which will be a twoday event, and Picnic in the Park, which will take place in the same weekend.
“So we will be providing the usual Picnic in the Park entertainment, plus the live entertainment of Streetfest.”
Mr Challans added that the festival team was also working towards putting on a festive lantern procession at Christmas, which has also always been supported financially by the town council.
He said: “We see what we’re doing this year as very much part of reviving Ashbourne as part of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and making a contribution both socially, economically and culturally to the town.
“So our appeal really is that you’ll reconsider, and just to explain that we’re putting on other events, ticketed events, such as a comedy events, a live band, and a concert in St Oswald’s Church, with a comedy and a Shakespeare event.
“And we will have many events later in the year when hopefully the restrictions will have dropped and people will feel safer and happier to come and see them.” Mr Challans also explained that the festival had lost an important source of income during the pandemic from local businesses, who are in the process of recovering from the lockdowns and cannot afford the same level of support they have given the events in the past.
The bucket collections at the annual Streetfest weekend were also not able to go ahead last year, he added, because the event was cancelled, and that could have raised more than £3,000.
Festival committee member Jacqui Marsh then outlined some of the costs involved in laying on huge, free public events, and the donations they have so far received.
International Streetfest, she explained, will cost £17,495 this year.
Picnic in the Park costs £750 to put on and the lantern workshops and procession costs around £1,000.
Even with the town council funding, and from various other donations, she said, the festival team would still need to find £9,045 to help pay for the year’s events.
It is expected this will be sourced from grant applications in the pipeline, but without town council support, the grants would be harder to obtain.
Ashbourne Town Council had originally promised to discuss the grant decision under an agenda item headed to hear “an appeal” from Ashbourne Arts - but before the meeting had started, town clerk Carole Dean asked that the heading was changed to “to reconsider the request for funding based on new information.”
Among the responses from the councillors, Bob Pugh said: “All of the festivals in Ashbourne bring people from far and wide into our town. They spend money in more places than others.
“And without any of those we are going to be damaging the interests of the shopkeepers in our town, as well as not pulling in local people to enjoy entertainment, and tourists to come and enjoy Ashbourne.
“So I’m fully in favour of supporting perhaps more than the festival, but the festival is currently the only one in this agenda.
“We were very quick, quite rightly so, when the council agreed two years running to fund the floral displays and planters, without asking tradespeople for contributions.
“And I think that was a really good example of how this town council realises that we still need to keep, as much as we can, our organisations and events ticking over.”
Councillors proposed to pay £2,300, with £2,000 going to the festival, and £300 for the lanterns parade, from its 2021/2022 attractions budget.
It was agreed unanimously.
We see what we’re doing this year as very much part of reviving Ashbourne
Tim Challans