Guernsey Festival is put ‘on hold’
Saturday 5th January 2013, 5:00PM GMT.
The Charlatans playing on the Guernsey Festival main stage in June. The music event has been put ‘on hold’ indefinitely after organisers incurred large debts. (Picture by Andrew Le Poidevin)
GUERNSEY’S biggest music festival has been put ‘on hold’ indefinitely after incurring large debts, organisers announced today.
The two brothers behind the Guernsey Festival, Jon and Paul Stephen, have revealed they cannot consider staging the event again without investment.
It follows court action from three companies against Guernsey Festival Ltd and one of its directors, Jon Stephen, for debts incurred.
‘We invested many hundreds of thousands of pounds into establishing a festival in Guernsey, but we are just two ordinary guys and cannot continue to subsidise an event of this scale,’ the brothers said in a statement.
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Well that went well, eyes bigger than your bellies!
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Are you kidding me!? At least they got off their a*s*s and did something rather then sit about moaning theres nothing to do…
When was the last time you did anything for the Island?
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Someberk
Not sure that the local traders who have lost thousands would agree with you
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But the local traders who made thousands would …
I see what you did there… 3rd post and you need to resort to petty name calling – grow up.
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SomebLerk
Apologies.I also now see what I did there.Please be assured it was totally unintended
I’ll pop in to Specsavers when I drive up to view their new bus shelter
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A typical Guernsey thing – and I say this as a Guern born and bred. Before retirement I worked for 40 years as a manager at a high street bank. It was exhausting trying to reign in “ordinary guys” and inevitably customers would borrow elsewhere and it would go pear shaped.
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It’s a pity the banks didn’t try harder to reign in your colleagues whose lending policies helped to cause the current financial crisis…..many of whom are still sitting in their ivory towers whilst people like the Stephens are in serious trouble for trying to do something for the island.
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I totally agree. The banks incentivise staff – lending (taking fees and debit interest) – makes money for a manager via their portfolio of clients. A manager may have anything from 100-300 customers, dependent on the turnover of the clients. The bigger the business and the more income it makes for the bank, the more time consuming the client, so a manager will have 50 “big” clients. No matter what the banks say about treating customers fairly etc etc, it is lip service. It is about bonus and income. A manager that doesnt hit every target is an “underperformer” and doesnt get a payrise or bonus.
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Not a bad thing.
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How about giving these guys some credit for bringing the Festival to the Island in the first place, they undertook to provide an event enjoyed by thousands of people of all ages; I do hope sponsors can be found.
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I’d be surprised if sponsors come along unless the organisers agree to change their attitude significantly. I can’t see too many companies lining up to throw in tens of thousands of pounds (or more) when they have no input whatsoever into the arrangements. Also it maybe wasn’t the best idea to use UK security, caterers etc, it hardly fits in with the desired “Guernsey” image.
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Its another guernsey shambles
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I have previously organised a large event and I appreciate the time and effort it takes to do this well done to the Stephen brothers the costs for organising putting the bands up in lodgings, food transport is phenomenal and that’s without support acts to arrange, staging and lighting, time given to ticket sales. Give them a break you have no idea you ignorant people who slag those off who do good for this island. It’s not a surprise where this island is going there will be no shops soon and nothing to see or do with the attitudes of some for gods sake there is nothing exiting to do here that Festival brings something exiting and fun to look forward to. No wonder kids that go to Uni have no incentives to return!
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Indeed Guernsey Lass, there is nothing exciting to do on Guernsey.
No beaches to use, no parks, no sports clubs, no nearby islands to visit, no local music scene, no Sark Folk Festival, no concerts at St James, no visiting bands, there is nothing whatsoever.
How will I ever survive without the one opportunity a year to do something exciting (despite the fact it only ran for two years and lost hundreds of thousands of pounds each year)?
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These boys didn’t learn from the year before when i didn’t take off and bring in huge crowds. There was no way in hell that they would of acheived the hope of 10,000 people.
That’s almost 1 sixth of the population for gods sake. You wouldn’t even get that at the North Show where your customer base is far broader.
Yes you can say ‘fair play for having the balls to do it’ but do you homework properly and learn from your mistakes(previous year)
As for local business’ making thousands from the event – Total rubbish. Their naivety has left local suppliers out of pocket to the tune of thousands.
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