In a surprise turn of events, Chair of the Winter Gardens Management Committee (WGMC), Maureen Cawley, has announced in a letter in the South Wight Chronicle, that they are to suspend confirmation of the Ventnor Winter Gardens as a venue for the 2009 Jazz Festival.
On 14 July, the majority of the WGMC voted to allow for it to be used.
The suspension will continue, “until written notification is received that all Jazz Festival debts have been cleared.” It isn’t obvious who will provide the notification, the Jazz organisers, or those who are currently owed money.
Just 2008 debts
Higher up in the letter Maureen mentions all outstanding creditors of the 2008 Jazz Festival.
Given that in the same letter both ‘all Jazz Festival debts’ and ‘only the 2008 Jazz Festival debts’ are mentioned, it was initially unclear if all of the creditors from 2007 Jazz and the Folk and Blues Festival actually lay in the minds of the WGMC, as all events were promoted by the same people using different companies.
We spoke to Maureen today and she told VentnorBlog that the debts from the 2007 Jazz Festival would not be included, as she says that some of them were going through courts and that they might not be sorted out before the 2009 Jazz Festival. The debts from the Folk & Blues Festival would also be excluded.
With this letter and one from Jonathan Fitzgerald-Bond in the Chronicle this week, it could be a bumper week of sales for the Chronicle!
