Games are cancelled Money’s refunded as ground too muddy for event
Cost and car parking issues have been cited as reasons for not switching the recently-cancelled Perth Highland Games to an alternative venue.
There was disappointment in the Fair City and beyond on Wednesday when organisers announced this year’s Games – set to be held on the Lesser South Inch on Sunday – would not take place.
The event attracts thousands of spectators, with crowds lapping up traditional Scottish spectacles such caber tossing, heavyweight events and bag piping competitions – as well as a variety of trade stands and family-themed activities.
But event secretary Stevie Ryder – who was this year awarded an MBE for his services to the Highland Games circuit – explained the site is unsuitable after being churned up during last weekend’s Perth Show.
He also revealed the reasons behind not switching to an alternative site and accused Perth and Kinross Council of putting “obstacles in the road every step of the way.” Mr Ryder told the PA: “We had to cancel it because of the ground conditions and the forthcoming weather for this weekend. It is going to be quite bad for rain and the [Perth and Kinross Council] restrictions regarding the ground have really put us off.”
Mr Ryder explained the council had offered for the Games to be hosted on the main South Inch, but added that a charge of up to £5000 would have to be paid if the ground became damaged as a result.
The North Inch was also offered as a venue – where the Games has been held successfully previously – but, allegedly, without parking, which the organisers said was unsuitable.
Ryder continued: “The council put a £5000 bond on greenspaces. It means that’s the payment for refurbishing the park. After the event they will sort the park out, but then charge us up to £5000. That is a lot of money for a Highland Games.
“Perth doesn’t have a lot of sponsors, and every bit of money we make goes back in to the next year’s Games. At present it costs £35,000 to put on, so it’s a lot of money for us. The council have let us use the North Inch for the past two years, but last year would not allow us car parking.
“We lost out on up to 300 cars paying entry last year and it really affected the trade stands because people weren’t coming through the gates. A lot of the trade stands didn’t come back to Perth Highland Games this year because of the council’s no parking rule.”
Mr Ryder added the organising committee inspected the ground several times before making the difficult decision, and are all very disappointed.
He admitted: “We are disappointed because this is a year’s work. We are all volunteers and don’t get anything out of it [financially]. We had to be realistic with financial restrictions as well. We are pretty sorry to be honest, because the committee have been working hard on this all year. The condition of the park was such we had to cancel.”
A spokesperson for Perth and Kinross Council said: “It was agreed to introduce a £5000 bond for some large-scale events, but we would like to make it clear that the decision to do this is at the council’s discretion and we decided not to charge Perth Highland Games for the amount up front – either for hosting it on the Lesser South Inch or when we offered an alternative venue. We would have only charged them following on from the event to pay for any damage that may have been caused. In previous years, there has been damage to public spaces following largeMr scale events, with costs being met by the council.
“It was, therefore, agreed at a meeting of the council’s environment committee held on Wednesday, January 11, that organisers of a handful of large events held on public ground, primarily in Perth, may be charged a refundable £5000 bond which would be utilised to deal with damage caused by the event. If the reinstatement works were less than £5000, then the balance would be returned to the organisers.
“While it is disappointing that the Perth Highland Games is not going ahead this weekend, there are a number of other local events taking place across Perth and Kinross including the Perth Medieval Fayre, Aberfeldy Show and Highland Games, and the Touch of Tartan Half Marathon.” MP Pete Wishart said: “I am really disappointed to hear the Perth Highland Games has been cancelled due to the damage caused to the South Inch by recent events and the particularly poor weather we have been having,”
Pre-bought ticketsfrom EventBrite should have already received full refunds. Likewise, all competitors and stall-holders will be fully refunded, say organisers. Above left, the Lesser South Inch after Perth Show. Stevie Ryder with Brigadier Melville Jameson at a previous Games