BLOOMING TRAGEDY
Chairman blasts council after Flower Show axed
One of the country’s biggest outdoor shows has been axed after council chiefs pulled their funding.
Organisers of Ayr Flower Show have announced there will be no further editions of the festival following the 56th last year.
Now they have blasted South Ayrshire Council for a “lack of financial support” and claimed they are to blame for the demise of the much- loved event.
Flower Show chiefs say the event – which they boast is worth £ 1.3 million to the South Ayrshire economy – needed only 10 per cent of the £ 200,000 funding promised to the
Scottish International Air Show to continue.
Show chairman John Walker said: “We have survived the highs and lows of recessions and for three years – 2013, 2014 and 2015 – out of the last 16 have been supported financially by South Ayrshire Council.
“The council decided in 2016 not to continue their financial support. A particularly bad weather day on the Sunday of the 2016 show impacted our visitor numbers and income, and we have sought assistance from South Ayrshire Council.
“After seven weeks of discussion we were advised on Friday of last week that financial help would not be reinstated now or in the future.
“This is a sad day for all involved but in retrospect what has been achieved has been about much success built out of an empty field and from empty pockets but this is a sad loss to community effort and spirit, the fabric of our town and its heritage as well as the contribution to the economy.
“Many thousands of people have attended Ayr Flower Show over the years and the board are grateful for their input and support.”
The first edition of the Flower Show took place at Dam Park Hall in 1960 and it went on to be regarded as the best flower show in Britain outside the worldfamous Chelsea Flower Show.
The show has only taken one break in its decades of existence, when council chiefs pulled funding in 2000, and has been supported almost entirely by volunteers since.
Last year around 2700 people from around the country entered the show with tens of thousands more visiting Rozelle Park to browse displays and stalls.
Ayr MSP John Scott has branded the loss of the show “a tragedy” and urged them to reconsider to keep the historic event alive.
He said: “The Ayr Flower Show is much loved by local people and visitors from across the country and makes a significant contribution to the local economy.
“It will be a tragedy if it is lost to the area and especially so for want of what is in the scheme of things a very modest sum of public money.
“I have been in discussion with the Chairman of the Flower Show to try to find a way forward and appeal to the council to reverse their decision to no longer fund the show so that, even at this late stage, it might be saved.”
South Ayrshire Council reacted angrily to the news, claiming their money “masked financial difficulties that had existed for some time”.
Environment chief Lesley Bloomer said: “The council – and our predecessor authorities – have supported the Ayr Flower Show for a number of years, running the event from 1960 until 1999 before the decision to withdraw the funding in 2000 for financial reasons.
“In 2016, the decision was taken not to underwrite that year’s Flower Show. However, we did provide marketing support worth around £ 2500 and also provided, prepared and cleared up the event site – worth an estimated £ 9000.
“The board’s statement is disappointing as it’s fair to say that our support allowed the Flower Show to continue for longer than may have been feasible otherwise and masked financial difficulties that had existed for some time.
“However, we appreciate how sad and difficult it must be for them to take the decision that the current business model cannot continue.”
This is a sad loss to community effort and spirit