The Dragon Boat Festival and the West Mids Show
Posted on Jul 6, 2009
A few of our supporters have expressed a concern that the next year’s West Midlands Show will clash with the Severn Hospice Dragon Boat Festival.
The Dragon Boat Festival always takes place on the last Sunday in June. The West Mids Show has has moved from being a traditional mid-week May event, to a Friday / Saturday event, and now finally a weekend event in late June.
Several years ago, when the West Mids Show moved to the same date as the Dragon Boat Festival, we met with the organisers of the Show to discuss the situation. It was agreed that while the clash was not ideal, it was unlikely to have a major impact on either event. Because the Dragon Boat Festival is a one-day event, participants can visit the West Mids Show on Saturday and have the best of both worlds. We value our own involvement with the West Mids Show. Our Clive Support Group has traditionally manned the gate, while members of our Lottery team are a familiar sight at the Show.
We cannot hold the Dragon Boat Festival on a different weekend in the summer. We work in partnership with the organisation which we believe offers the highest levels of safety and the best experience for participants. Their success makes them popular, and to ensure that we can offer the event next year we have to commit to ‘our’ date a year in advance. Other charities and companies throughout the country have first refusal on their own dates so no other summer weekends are available to us.
The two events did not clash in 2008 as there were five weekends in June. The Dragon Boat Festival was held, as it always is, on the last weekend in June. The West Mids Show organisers decided to hold their event on the fourth weekend. Unfortunately this solution will be a rare occurrence.
We hope that people will continue to support both the Dragon Boat Festival and the West Mids Show, which we recognise is an important event not only for those from an agricultural background, but for everybody with an interest in the county we serve.
The Dragon Boat Festival is the biggest event in our fundraising calendar. The funds it raises are essential to our patients and the people who love them. It has always been held on the last Sunday in June and we have no option but to continue holding it on this date if it is to take place at all.
