Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2007 | Page 45

FEATURE

Garlic Festival
costs not being covered.” At time of
going to press the sums had not been
completed, but David thinks they may
just have covered their costs. “We’re
not like the Bestival, where debts can
be dealt with pretty instantaneously by
selling tickets for the following year.”
Charities pay far less for a pitch than,
say, food retailers. And they can really
benefit. David is proud that the Swimming
club, with its stall at the Garlic Festival,
was able to raise money last year to send
a team to the Island games; the Hospice
gained £25,000; and by running the car
parks the rugby clubs raise their travel
expenses to play on the mainland.
Two shows which tend not to attract
the flak of the larger ones are the Island
Steam Show and Wolverton Manor. Each
have a pre-existent identity external
to the show, and both are physically
limited from outgrowing themselves.
Wolverton Manor Garden Fair is not into
commercialism, claims Jim Raeside. It
benefits from having the prettiest setting,
and its concentration on nurseries
and plant sellers reinforces the rural
atmosphere, as do the Tudor group that
live, eat, dance and chat to punters in old
English. “It is naturally limited in size – we
have 150 exhibitors – and we are rigorous
in keeping the balance between crafts,
plants and charity stalls. Our sole purpose
is to raise money for our chosen charity this year we teamed up with Age Concern
Isle of Wight. The entrance fee was £4.50.”
The Island Steam Show at Havenstreet
is all things to all people, says Steve
Oates. The central pivot is the arena, but
if people want to do a bit of shopping
or visit the funfair, they can: “We invest
heavily in buying in acts,” he says. “If
people want to sit from 10.30 till 5pm
they will be entertained continuously.”
For all its passion about engines,
the Steam Show doesn’t take itself too
seriously– witness the presence of the
“village idiot” with his vintage car. Entry
price can include rides on steam trains or
not, but the funfair is largely steam, and
the traction engines emerge from being
sideshows to performing in the central

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arena. Catering is an expansion of the onsite cafe, and bought-in services include
a tea tent with ‘home made’ cakes, and
burger and hot dog stands from Cowes.
Like the other shows it has to be covered
by public liability insurance, but the smaller
events save on the cost of the emergency
services. The Isle of Wight Act requires
their presence (costing £10,000) if over
5,000 members of the public turn up.
Wolverton typically has 3,000 people.
Responding to criticism that some of
the food outlets at the Garlic Festival
were pretty indistinctive, David Holmes
holds up his hands. “Yes we allowed a

life

County Show

few too many non-local producers in. It’s
a fine balance – if they’re willing to risk
it we’re not going to turn them aw