Elemental Roll Call

what a let down

 

Well done@mabel for holding up the TLB end! A huge thanks to Technohippy for a great and awesome weekend! A true trooper. . . what could have gone wrong did go wrong and taken all in stride. Loved all the bands! I hope you finally had the chance to relax and enjoy yourself?!

 

To be fair Technohippy did tell us we were welcome to display if we wanted to risk getting through some swampy ground but after other people's experience at VoWo we decided not to and went to lend our support to the beer tent. Well done Mabel stirling effort.

Thanks for a great, although a bit too cold weekend ladies.

 

did enjoy myself though - spent two hours scraping the mud and hay off the underside yesterday. hopefully there will be some newbies taking a look as everyone i spoke to had vans in some state of repair or other and hadn't heard of TLB

 

I'm glad it went well despite Gods hatred of VW's. I was one of the ones who got turned away. Most people do that to me anyway if they can and you know what, crap happens.

So here is to next years.

 

Keep calm and carry on...

There were hiccups, I can assure you, mostly these were related to HSS Hire sending me clearly untested generators causing a variety of knock on effects including no ability to recharge crew radios, no ability for much of the saturday to power up the tannoy system, one or two abnds having to be cancelled whiel generators were echanged, a lack of power for the chillers in the beer tent, someone nearly died from carbon monoxide poisoning Friday night / Saturday morning, and a second ambualnce had to eb called for someone who'd got drunk and fallen alseep in the open and begun to get hypothermia and a large quagmire that appeared overnight Thursday night after 2 inches of snow that knackered a large part of the site. I'd like to think we reacted to these problems and in a swan liek manner at least appeared to traverse the day gracefully on the surface while the crew paddled like mad out of side to keep it that way.

I would also like to correct the inaccurate statement that there was mud I said never existed. I had all along been very clear with everyone that the camping area and carpark (which eventually became makeshift display area were weatherproof. I maintain I was correct in this, I don't recall a single case of anyone in those areas needing to even think about finding a tow out. I had always said all along I was nervous of the ground conditions on what was originally designated as the show and shine area. After 2 inches of snowfall Thursday what had been nearly two weeks of fine dry weather was undone in an instant and Friday during set up the sun didn't dry the ground so much as draw the water back out of it and this continued through saturday.

We did our best, the vast majority of feedback has reflected that feeling, and I have posted apologies to all those affected on here and many other places. I understand there will always be a minority who knock us no matter what we do. I look forward to the day when these armchair critics use their wisdom to put on a show for me to enjoy and learn from

 

Bravo well said

 

well said Technohippy

 

Technohippy not sure if you were referring to myself regarding comments on the mud etc or if the quote was related to just the first paragraph, but to be clear, I had/have no complaints at all about the mud, the cold, the busy car park, the fact that I forgot my mugs or anything else related to Saturday. I had a great time, the kids had a great time and next year we will be supporting you again.

 

its the that people travelled a long way without a ticket, got turned away because we were full and have had a pop at me for it! As other have reminded me it does clearly say on the website its 1st come 1st served until its full and that's it.

Also these "experts" who are slagging the new site off for being smaller than the old site, clearly they didn't walk around, that one is the best part of 14 acres when we can use all of it. Without the mud we'd have had room for at least another 300 cars without too much worry and to be honest I don't want to make the show any bigger as it will spoil it.

We'll do it again next year for sure, in the same place - it might have to be ticket only, we might have an overflow field up the road and a minibus laid on the ferry people about, I'm not sure but I watched someoen with a child in a buggy (baby not dune variety) cross a dual carriageway to get to the show. I know everything that happens outside the gate is legally not my problem or responsibility but morally that bothers me a great deal and I need a solution of some kind.

 

Technohippy I love the show experts. They know it all. They have done it you see.

What people are also failing to mention is the fact that this is a non profit show with the proceeds going to Essex Air Ambulance. With stopping people coming in you subsequently cut short their donation

And you're damned if you do and don't. Take Damper Jam 2012!!! In fact I blame them for last weekend. xxx

 

for me the site and layout was better than stansted, the location was better than stansted and the atmosphere was better than stansted. take that benbridge scholars!

 

Being my first show attendance I have nothing to compare it to, but thoroughly enjoyed it....and it's spurred me on to put my bus in for it's MoT this coming weekend, and get it registered.

Next year we'll be camping.

Good effort by all those who organised it.

 

I drove down, couldn't get in so went off and had a picnic in a country park instead. Still nice to give the bus a run. No drama, recognised I was taking a punt.