New Forest Show organisers battle to avoid £2.7m loss

NEW Forest Show bosses have opened an extra campsite and struck deals with dozens of contractors to avert a £2.7m funding shortfall after this year’s event was cancelled by the coronavirus pandemic.

The annual three-day fixture, which was due to get under way next week in its centenary year, was called off in March following the Prime Minister’s lockdown announcement.

Show chief executive Denis Dooley said that although the team of seven full-time staff and dozens of volunteers were “bitterly disappointed” to call off the hugely popular event in what would had been its centenary year, huge efforts had gone in to minimising the losses to the organising charity.

He also indicated the show would return with major changes, such as far fewer trade stands and fresh attractions.

Mr Dooley confirmed that all staff except himself were furloughed from 1st April and negotiations with contactors ensured that fees were not payable for services and infrastructure which would not be needed.

All pre-booked ticket holders were offered full refunds and trade stand clients were offered the option of a refund or the choice to move their booking forward until the 2021 event.

He said: “The uptake from trade stands who were happy to move their booking forward was about 50/50 so we were very pleased to receive that level of support from the traders.

“We were keen not to cash in our shares in the current financial crisis, so instead we approached Lloyds Bank and were able to secure a loan with very favourable terms with no payments due until next year.”

The combination of these negotiations and agreements meant the actual loss to the New Forest Show Society was reduced from £2.7m to around £300,000 – equal to the level of losses that could be expected if the event was affected by bad weather.

To further mitigate losses, a decision was taken by the Show Society to open an additional 200-pitch seasonal campsite on the New Park showground.

Mr Dooley said: “We opened our Long Meadow Campsite as usual with 100-pitches but took a decision that we would not be able to operate it with toilet facilities because we could not put measures in place for them to comply with social distancing requirements.

“We then took a decision around 10 days ago to open an extra 200-pitch campsite, called New Park Farm Campsite, on the New Forest showground using the toilet and show facilities that we would have used for the show.”

Spurred on by Camping in the Forest’s decision not to open its seven New Forest campsite in 2020, Mr Dooley said the New Forest Show Society is also hopeful that the additional camping availability will boost the local economy.

He said: “Our staff were keen to come back to work so by launching this additional campsite we were able to bring back five from furlough and we will bring back the other two when the furlough period ends.

“It has certainly been a steep learning curve building a website and making all the arrangements within a short space of time but we are really hoping that it further reduces our losses for this year.”

The New Park Farm Campsite will operate until 7th September when planning will begin for the 2021 New Forest Show.

Mr Dooley said: “We have received the government guidance on running events in a pandemic and we will run a show next year, as long as it is safe to do so. Our main centenary celebrations that we planned for this year will also be deferred until then.

“No one can predict where we will be next year – but if Covid is still with us then it will be a very different event to the show we are used to.”

Mr Dooley added that he believed the show will also need to evolve to offer more opportunities for education and interaction.

He said: “The days when we put on show which filled with trade stands and livestock competitions are in the past.

“If we are to survive then we need to offer our visitors the chance to enjoy a day out whilst doing things. This may mean that we find a way to reduce the number of trade stands whilst increasing the quality of the ones that we do have.

“Our vision for the show is that people will leave us having interacted with as many educational opportunities as possible.

“We are confident and positive about the future but changes will be necessary.”

However, Mr Dooley pledged that the popular £1 admission offer for children’s tickets would continue with all proceeds directed to an agricultural bursary scheme set up in memory of former cattle section chair Samantha Bailey and her baby daughter Florence.

To find out more about the New Forest Show and plans for 2021 visit www.newforestshow.co.uk or to find out more about New Park Farm Campsite visit www.newparkfarmcampsite.com