Chale Show organisers have announced the 2020 Chale Show is to be postponed in light of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
Due to take place at the beginning of August, this year would have been the 94th Chale Show.
Impossible to stage
Organisers say with the ongoing uncertainties surrounding Covid-19 pandemic and the difficulties in protecting the event’s supporters, traders and volunteers, it has made the event impossible to stage at this time.
Woodford: Too uncertain to continue
Show manager, Andrew Woodford, said,
“We have taken the difficult decision to postpone the 2020 Chale Show due to the ongoing Covid-19 Crisis. Having had multiple discussions with the local authority, Island MP and our suppliers, we felt that under current legislation the event would not be permitted, and that the current timeline for easing of restrictions was too uncertain to continue.
“We had looked at staging the show in a different format, potentially at a smaller scale, whilst still trying to accommodate certain aspects of the show, but in the end we decided that changing the event in such fundamental ways would leave the volunteers and visitors with a disappointing end result not befitting the ‘Chale Show’ name.”
Safety of volunteers
The Show is run entirely by volunteers, many of whom are older, and organisers have a duty to ensure their safety is not compromised.
Chale Show not covered by any sort of grant or subsidy and therefore organisers say it would not be reasonable to risk charity reserves on staging an event in these difficult times.
Plans are already in place for the 2021 event with the weekend of the 31st July/1st August secured. As always, all proceeds are given to fantastic local causes and charities.
Andrew said,
“Thank you to all our supporters for your understanding and we look forward to welcoming you again next year! In the meantime, please keep safe.”
