And they’re off... to the lapdancing club at ‘posh’ Cheltenham
Church leads protest over lewd entertainment (and who knows what else!)
‘There’s an issue of exploitation’
IT IS one of the great racing meetings, loved by royals, celebrities and hundreds of thousands of punters with cash to burn. But the Cheltenham Festival is attracting a rather seedier sort of business.
Hordes of male racegoers have been descending on the regency spa town to spend their winnings in strip clubs, igniting a furious backlash.
Shuttle buses are ferrying champagnefuelled groups of men from Prestbury Park directly to the doors of the temporary or pop-up clubs.
Critics have accused club promoters of turning the festival into a hotbed for debauchery, creating an unsafe environment for women after dark.
The presence of the lapdancing clubs, which open from 8pm to 5am every night in race week, has also angered local equalities campaigners and faith groups.
One Christian organisation, Trinity Cheltenham, has been handing out leaflets to racegoers warning that erotic dancers could be victims of sexual exploitation and trafficking. It encourages punters to report potential victims.
Dancers have travelled from across the country to cash in on the races. Some claim they can earn £5,000 over the week. The races have also attracted prostitutes to the town who are charging up to £1,000 a night.
This week, club promoter Eroticats has been granted a licence to host three nights of nude lap dancing in the town’s 2 Pigs nightclub, which normally hosts indie music nights.
The decision to grant a licence angered councillors who argued that the club is too close to the town’s St Mary’s Church.
Another promoter, Cheltenham Lapdancing, does not hold a full licence, but has exploited a loophole in the law that allows them to put on adult entertainment as long as they change the venue every night.
A third, Fantasy Nightclub, had its licence revoked a week before the races amid fears of ‘aroused men being let loose in the streets’ and the potential for dancers being ‘touched, manhandled and abused’. Eroticats and Cheltenham Lapdancing have launched huge promotional campaigns on Facebook.
One advert for Cheltenham Lapdancing features a picture of a topless model clad in fur and jodhpurs and holding a riding crop.
Eroticats is publicising a mobile phone number that customers can use to call a mini bus to take them directly to the club.
Its website says: ‘Are you ready for the Cheltenham Races? The strippers in Cheltenham are ready to show you everything they’ve got.
‘Whether you are on a lads’ night out or you are just looking for a show, the Eroticats performers want to show you that they have what it takes to put a smile on your face.’
In previous years, promoters paid teenage girls £ 6 an hour to hand out leaflets to racegoers.
Reverend Gareth Dickinson, of Trinity Cheltenham church, said: ‘We are concerned that during race week, there is a risk of dancers being exploited for financial gain.
‘We are aware of a number of high-profile police investigations into the issue, and we’re seeking to raise awareness to make sure that there isn’t any slavery or exploitation within these clubs.’
Tess Black, of women’s group Chelt Fems, said: ‘It creates an atmosphere like the whole town is one big drunken stag party from early evening onwards. It is not a welcoming place as a woman unless you’re comfortable with a lot of harassment.
‘When a pub or club becomes a lapdancing venue for the night, the promoters will provide their own security staff, but it will usually be the same bar staff who normally work at that bar, who suddenly find themselves involuntarily working in a sex establishment.
‘I heard the account of someone who works as a glass collector in a pub that turned into a lapdancing venue for the night, and from the account, he sounded almost traumatised by the experience.’
Conservative councillor Tim Harman said: ‘We don’t know what horrors these sorts of places mask. There is an issue of trafficking and exploitation.
‘ I think the world has changed in
recent years, and I would now prefer there to be a policy where there is zero toleration of adult entertainment venues.
‘You’d be naive to think there isn’t a huge problem with sex workers during race week.’
Liberal Democrat councillor Flo Clucas, who campaigned against the decision to grant Eroticats a licence, added: ‘There are a lot of women and children who come to Cheltenham and a lot of families.
‘I don’t think it’s appropriate for adult entertainment venues to be advertising so openly.
‘The trouble is, we can’t stop it, and businesses are entitled to advertise their wares. It’s just not something I would support. A spokesman for Cheltenham Lapdancing said their dancers were not victims of sexual exploitation or trafficking.
The spokesman added: ‘All of our girls work on their own accord and travel from afar to do so instead of working in their local club during race week, with many returning year after year.’
Eroticats did not respond to a request for comment.
Detective Chief Inspector Gavin Webb, from Gloucestershire Police, said: ‘We have had several high profile investigations in the past in Gloucestershire involving sexual exploitation that show it can happen anywhere.
‘Our recent action has been about getting the message out there that this is happening, gathering intelligence and making sure people and businesses can recognise the signs.
‘We’re still gathering information about the extent of the issue here and we would urge people to call us if they have suspicions.’