If we spoke only last month about Wiltshire Council’s threats to prosecute Wiltshire Music Events over posters advertising a Bob Marley tribute event in Devizes, it seems we were only at the tip of a disheartening iceberg for event promoters. Promoter for Adrenaline Stomper rave nights at Venom Nightclub in Westbury, Chris Freeman is the latest victim of their crackdown on fly-posting….
Mr Freeman tasted their venom, and was given a 24-month Conditional Discharge and ordered to pay £1,465 on the 19th April for flyposting, and then Wiltshire Council had the audacity to brag about it online. But, karma is a bitch; in a gloaty moment of stupidity, they displayed a photograph of the offending poster, acting like an advert for the event! We do hope it backlashes upon them, and entices people to attend on the 13th July. You can’t make it up! You’ve got to love our Council. I’m such a conformist I will certainly not give it this massive rave a plug for them….
Cllr Nick Holder, Cabinet Member for Transport and Street Scene, waffled, “we’re committed to reducing fly-posting in Wiltshire, and this prosecution is part of our wider clampdown on this unsightly blight on our communities.” As unsightly as, say, the construction of a £2.4 billion tunnel under Stonehenge that the High Court stated was “unlawful,” perhaps? Or the thousands of miles of unrepaired roads in the county, the plight of vacant high street shops due to hikes in rent, the construction of solar farms on areas of outstanding natural beauty when they could quite easily be put along our motorways, or maybe, just maybe, the human faeces pouring into our rivers the government they back allowed water companies to ignore? That level of unsightliness? A poster, advertising an event? Really?!
“It creates a bad impression of an area,” the councillor who couldn’t bear the thought of people enjoying themselves at a party he obviously wasn’t invited to, continued, “and it costs the council thousands of pounds each year to remove.” As costly as £1.4 million for a PCC re-election in 2021, because the Conservative candidate was a drink-driving wildlife assassin, perhaps? Or the £57,000 taxpayers paid to bail out MP Michelle Donelan for slanderous comments on her personal Twitter page? That kind of costly? To rip a poster off a lamppost, really?!
Chris Freeman personally expressed his “disappointment” to see Wiltshire Council brag about their successful prosecution, telling us, “it’s disappointing what they’ve done, still can’t believe it really.”
“I just want this whole thing done with,” he said. “Being I’m someone in the local community and having lived in Wiltshire all of my life, with no previous convictions of any kind, of course I cannot begin to tell you how very disappointed that this went to court, without even a warning.” Mr Freeman continued to suggest not only had it had a significant impact on him mentally, but also taken a huge toll on his family, even without the financial burden now in place.
Chris, a keen fundraiser for local charities, and a regular Father Christmas for local schools, asked Facebook users if justice was really served, “especially considering these types of events bring business locally into our local towns, shops and hotels?”
The nature of the events they seem to target could suggest the possibility of cherry picking events they take a personal dislike to, being that other event advertisements appear to be immune to the crackdown. Of course, this is highly debatable speculation, and far be for me to say it’s so. But with the hospitality industry at its knees post lockdown, again, maybe, just maybe, a little compromise is needed here from Wiltshire Council, just, y’know, a level of compassion, a little communication, and understanding, perhaps, maybe, just a smidgen?!
“In times like these,” Chris continued, “events that promote wellbeing, and aim to give people a reason to smile should be pushed forward, not pushed back.” Bingo, sir.
Obviously though, we have to go along with Wiltshire Council on this one, and we cannot tell you that the Adrenaline Stompers Festival 2024 at Venom Nightclub in Westbury, on Saturday 13th July promises to be their biggest single day event to date! We really shouldn’t say, it hosts over forty DJs and thirty MCs, over indoor and outdoor stages, has weekend camping including a shuttle bus to & from the event, and retails for a mere £35 a ticket! Because, you know, your council wants you tucked up in bed by ten pm, after enjoying an entertaining TV show with Ant & Dec in…. so, jump to it.
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