Washout! 2018 steam rally is off
ORGANISERS have been left “devastated” after being forced to cancel this year’s Leisure Lakes Steam & Vintage Vehicle Rally.
The popular annual event, which takes place at Leisure Lakes in Mere Brow – between Southport and Tarleton – has been cancelled because the field it was to be held on is waterlogged.
The rally was scheduled to take place next weekend, on April 28 and 29 between 10am and 4pm, featuring 10 showman’s engines, more than 500 vintage and classic exhibits and would have been marking the late Fred Dibnah’s 80th birthday.
A spokesperson for the organisers said: “We are really sorry to have to announce that this year’s rally can not go ahead due to a waterlogged field.
“We are devastated. We are currently in the process of contacting all exhibitors, traders and suppliers to inform them, so if we’ve not contacted you yet, please bear with us.
“We really are so sorry to have to announce this. Sorry this impacts on everyone who was planning to come and join us for what would have been a brilliant weekend, if only the rain hadn’t persisted. We are busy contacting everyone, and would appreciate your understanding and help to spread the message, so that noone turns up to an empty field.”
All proceeds raised at the event would have been donated to charities in the area.
Last year the event raised £38,023 for charity. In the nine years they have been staging the event, organisers have raised £305,261 for worthy local causes.
In 2017, crowds enjoyed hundreds of classic cars, trucks and steam engines on show and more than 20 full sized steam engines took centre stage, including the only surviving Foden-built showman’s engine, “Prospector”.
The announcement of cancel- lation was made via the Leisure Lakes Steam Rally Facebook page, which has more than 2,000 Likes.
Many of the page’s users have been left very disappointed by the news, though understanding of the reasons.
One, Paul Damen, wrote: “Very sad to hear this news, after all the hard work taken to organise the event.
“Good luck with rearranging the event if at all possible.”
Another, Graham Ryder, wrote: “Not a happy bunny, was looking forward to this.”
These thoughts were shared by Patricia Yates, who added: “We’re so disappointed! We go every year so we will miss it.”