I still have no idea what I am going to do about the Weird Weekend. After my posting yesterday when I
wrote about the second price hike in a week from the people in charge of the Community Centre, five
different people contacted me offering to pay part or all of the extra money, and I am overwhelmed by
their love and support. The problem is not really the money, however, but a matter of principle.Through no fault of ours, the ladies who have done such an excellent job of the catering for the last six or seven years are not able to do it this year. I asked the organisation which runs The Small School in Hartland, an institution with whom I have much sympathy, to do it. The Community Centre are now charging us a surcharge of £150 because the Small School is not from the village. The fact that they are from a small town five miles away seems to be irrelevant. I think that this is completely outrageous.
On top of this, it has been made clear to me that the views we hold and have expressed about bloodsports and the badger cull have not made me/us popular in certain quarters. Against this background of bad vibes, I feel uneasy about holding an event that has always worked on happy co-operation and good vibes to produce a truly magickal experience. I am waiting to hear back from the Hall Committee before I make up my mind, but with the mixture of bad vibes and poor ticket sales and the number of WW regulars who will be unavoidably absent this year due to other committments, I am tempted to cancel this year's event, and start again in a new venue in 2015.
Jon, I really would not blame you if you did cancel this year's Weird Weekend, given the circumstances which you describe.
ReplyDeleteWhy does people politics always have to spoil everything? Sounds to me like there's a little Hitler on the committee who's doing his best to scupper the event.
I will really miss my annual dose of Weird Weekendery, the chance to catch up with friends, etc, but it wouldn't be the same if the even went ahead and there was an underlying atmosphere insinuating that we were not really wanted there.
I rather suspect that someone is making up rules to suit themselves here. I think that in all probability the committee may not be the ultimate authority at all, but instead a council may be. If so then asking said council why some jumped-up numpty is interfering with the tourist trade and bringing that area into disrupt might work quite well.
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