THE historic Lymm May Queen Festival – founded more than 130 years ago – has been “rescued” for the second time in a week, following a shock walk-out by committee members.
A new committee has emerged with a new chairman and has pledged to press on with arrangements for this year’s event.
Former chairman Lynn Shaw has stepped into the breach until September.
She said: “We have nothing against the previous committee and previous problems have to be ‘parked.’
“I am very passionate about the May Queen Festival and we have a very good committee who are excited about the event.”
A meeting of the festival committee was held less than a week after an emergency meeting of Lymm Parish Council had come up with what appeared to be a rescue package.
But festival chairman Sean Kerfoot said written guarantees received from the parish council were “very different” from those given verbally at the emergency meeting.
He had sought clarification from a member of the parish council – but it soon became evident that some members of the public who attended the festival committee meeting were not there to help but to carry out an agenda unknown to the committee.
Mr Kerfoot said: “As a result of this the existing committee decided to dissolve the society and all assets and holdings will now be held by a solicitor who will decide where said monies and assets should be distributed as per the constitution.
“The solicitor will also be contacting the Standards Board for England to register an official complaint against Lymm Parish Council as I believe there to be at least three breaches of ‘the code’ by which they are bound.”
Lynn Shaw, who was last involved in organising the festival two years ago, said she hoped new, younger people would come forward with fresh ideas to join the new committee.
Anyone who wants to help can contact her by emailing [email protected]
Problems arose after Mr Kerfoot said this festival had been cancelled because individual committee members were likely to be held personally responsible for any damage caused to gas pipes under the access road to the May Queen Field – damage that could cost up to £250,000.
At the emergency meeting, council members decided to underwrite the event, using public funds and it was agreed it could go ahead. But when the written guarantees were received from the council, Mr Kerfoot claimed they were “very different.”
Council chairman Joe Griffiths refuted this, however.
Borough council leader Ian Marks – also a member of the parish council – pledged his support for the festival.
He said: “We can’t let this important tradition fall by the wayside. It is unfortunate that there has been a disagreement between people – but the festival is bigger than the personalities involved.
“We are grateful for what the existing committee has done. But we cannot let this thing be derailed. There is not much time to organise but I still believe that this will happen. A lot of people want it to go ahead.”
The festival is usually held on the second Saturday in June and attracts thousands of people from a wide area.
Pictured: Town Crier Peter Powell leads last year’s May Queen procession.
Historic festival rescued a second time
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Gary Skentelbery
Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Trustee Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.
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Just wondering if anybody actually talked with the owners of the gas pipes in question, in order to come to an agreement and understanding with them. Without proper insurance, there is no way a Parish Council would have funds to underwrite to the tune of £250,000. As I recall political parties are all saying that decisions should be more devolved to local people, are they serious, most of the locals to whom such powers would be devolved couldn’t organise the proverbial in a brewery without falling out with each other.
Theres more to it than what is said above. Shaun Carefoot had a word with June Gittings in private before it started and then they came out and started the meeting. They said that they wanted to get help from the public to do the May Queen and then the other people said they were here to make them have an agm. My friend Liz Pritchard told them that Joe Griff had spoken to her before and told her that the public must force them to have the agm if they didnt do it. They went out and came back and asked us do we want a meeting to do the May queen or an agm as they wer told to do by Joe. Most of us wanted an agm but i dont think the comittee were set up to do it. It was after we forced them to do it that they decided to disolve the May Queen and left it to us. Lynn took over and told people what jobs they had to do but most of us new what we would be doing anyway. I think the council and Lynn had it in for Shaun and if he new what they said behind his back he would soo the others and the council
That’s Sean Kerfoot and Joe Griffiths you mean, is it? I can only speak for myself, but if you don’t know the names of the people involved, even after they’ve appeared above in the story you’re commenting upon, then I find it hard to believe you know much about anything else. The water mains leaked one year and UU said if it happened again, they’d charge in full for repairs, so WBC as owners of the access road, asked ALL users of the field to insure events for £250,000 to cover that. That’s all. Now, communication hasn’t been good and people have ended up shouting and arguing, but there is no conspiracy against anyone or anything. An AGM is nothing more than one meeting per year that is open to the public – why should that be a problem? And why is the PARISH Council copping the flak when it’s the BOROUGH council wanting the insurance policy?
Hi Jayne, it’s Sean (Shaun).
Would you be prepared to contact me direct ?
To LymmParent how is Kate and Graham. Just because i’m not as good as you are at doing things on a computer but then again i dont work for the waterboard do i? And yes SEAN KERFOOT i will get in touch and tell you about JOE GRIFFITHS and what the PARISH council are saying.
I have no idea who you think you are talking to, Jayne, but “Kate and Graham” are strangers to me, I’ve no idea what you can do with a computer, and I don’t work for the water board either. When you “get in touch” with your suspect to spread your spite and gossip, you’ll find he or she has nothing to do with me at all. Wrong again.
I called the meeing to get help to put on this years event, all the posters said it was a ” meeting” not an Agm, all the txts and calls l made said meeting, l even informed the parish council it was a meeting and told them when the AGM would be. it was quite clear really, I had booked a date for the AGM and read it out at the meeting as per the constitution required.
Liz rang Joe Griffiths up to ask for help finding a wagon to use as a float and said she was going to the meeting tonight in which Joe Griffiths told her that it hat to be an extraordinary AGM and that the May Queen would not get the funding if it wasn’t and demanded that the public call for it to be an AGM and she was told to pass the message on to me,
I wasn’t prepared for an AGM we were alll there to get help from the community to put the event on this year.
The conditions put to me from the Parish council were to have an AGM as soon as possible, which according to the constitution has to have a minimum of 28 days notice which l complied with.
I am really upset about this as l was only there to get help to put the May Queen on which l have been involved in for many years, and l felt hurt and upest when turned upon by the public.
Wow…. what a fine and proper way to organise what should be a happy event. Let’s hope some of the kids involved don’t read some of the above. Mind you, give it to the kids to organise; they would probably do a better job by the look of things!
From what you say there, Diane, it sounds to me as though Joe was trying to make sure there was an AGM in time to make sure you got the funding for 2010. If he had anything against you or the event, all he had to do was stay quiet. No AGM in time, no funding and it would not have been his fault. I do understand you being upset if a few people at the meeting were hostile to you, but nothing you say sounds like a deliberate plan to upset you. I hope when you’ve had time to calm down you’ll decide to get involved with the May Queen again, because I assure you the vast majority of us do appreciate the hard work you’ve put in and always do enjoy the day.
And just to be clear, I am not a member of, or involved with, any Council or Committee, I am not a relative or close personal friend of anyone involved in the arguing. I am just a person who lives in Lymm, likes the May Queen and thinks it’s awful that this kind of in-fighting hangs over the day, when there’s no need for any of it.
If Diane is who I think she is then I agree, she has done a fantastic job as have Sean and all the others involved over the last few years. Can I suggest that all the finger pointing and name calling be postponed until 13 June and that everyone spend the next 6 weeks trying to put the festival together? After all, that doesn’t really leave much time when you consider that the most important parts – ie the May Queen and the Rose Queen – haven’t even been picked yet…
Well said Nik. This is not an internet chatroom and all that appears are negative postings, no disrespect to the ignorami but you are not aware of all the facts! Myself and my team fully support Lynn and wish her and her team well, they accepted what we were unprepared to and are working hard to stage the event. I applaud her and will support her in any way I can, we all should. The issues I have are with Lymm Parish Council and are being addressed not through chatrooms but through the appropiate channels. Councillor Marks summed it up perfectly, the festival IS bigger than any of the personalities involved. Let’s not forget this and pull together.
The May Queen is a public event. It belongs to the community of Lymm. If there are facts being held back, then I would like to know what they are and I definitely want to know who thinks they have the right to keep secrets from the rest of us. If all this arguing boils down to some over inflated egos, then that’s disgusting.
Hello Jayne this is Graham. I would like you to know that I am actually quite well thank you. And that to my knowledge there is no ill feeling from my mother toward any previous or existing committe member. Also it is clear that you have no idea who we are other than lynns children by the fact that my sister wasnt actually in attendance. My reasons for being at the meeting was to ensure that the May Queen, an event in which I have had involvement for a number of years, continues to provide enjoyment to the people of lymm. It is really sad how bitterness had now overshadowed such a positive and historic lymm event. However what really winds me up is that people hide behind internet usernames and the fact my name has been mentioned personally for what seems nothing more than cheap dig at my mother. How Sad!
Before the meeting on Monday, Sean had already posted on face book via his Lymm events page that the Mayqueen was cancelled, so why waste decent people’s time having a meeting/agm when you KNOW your going to resign/dissolve it?
Sean your not doing the Mayqueen or the village any good, your obviously going to waste much needed Mayqueen money via a legal battle. Why don’t you just hand it over forget the petty squabbling with the council, because your not going to achieve anything from it apart from costing the people of Lymm money, and nobody will thank you for that, then, you and the people of Lymm can all just accept that you tried your best, but its now time to move on.
This is Kate Shaw, I have no idea why my name has been mentioned as I have not been involved in any of this. But just for the record my mother has my full support in everything she does and I don’t take kindly to amy disparaging remarks being made about any of my family members.
I’m certain that everyone involved in the May Queen this year will make it a hugely successful event.
I completely agree with my brothers comments above and if anyone would like to be involved in the May Queen then my Mum and the other comittee members would welcome your support.
Well, Phill, if that’s a fact it was certainly held back….. I’ve been looking around another Lymm Forum site, which has several threads on the May Queen, and one May Queen Committee member is on record there acknowledging that the accounts for 2009 haven’t been done yet. Perhaps that’s part of the need for an urgent AGM? I’ve also seen the document Sean sent to the Council – it’s posted online in the same Forum. I’m not going to comment, but if any of my fellow “ignorami” would care to educate themselves, it’s there and rather speaks for itself.
Can I ask who you are and whether or not you are willing to help out? As already said the MayQueen needs the support of lymm residents so please step forward and put your name forward. I am the first person to agree that this bitterness is pointless, so please offer your hand in support and lets make this years MayQueen a special event. Theres always something to do, or help with so please offer your support.
May Queen picking is next Wednesday (5 May) at the youth club. Doors open at 5.30 and close again at 6pm so they can start.
I don’t put my personal details on the internet as a matter of basic principle, but yes, Graham, I am willing to help out, and I will be contacting the email address given in the article to find out whether I can be of use. I’m not taking sides either, because I don’t believe there should be any sides to take when it comes to community matters.
Well thats good, I can give my email which is [email protected], I can then pass you onto the relevant person in which to help. Anybody willing to volunteer is of up most value to the may queen committe, I wasnt having a go at you but trying to gain positive input to a much needed cause.
No offence taken, Graham, I can quite see your position. I intended to enquire anyway and will be in touch via one or other email over the long weekend. I’ve also prodded a colleague of mine who has some relevant experience and far more skills than me! She’s probably already made contact….
I do hope everyone can put their differences to one side and work for the good of the May Queen Festival.
The village is already struggling to survive during the current economic recession and we need everyone to pull in the same direction and make the May Queen a huge success for everyone connected with Lymm.
What a sad sad mess. Having lived in Lymm for 40 years and when time has allowed been part of the May Queen Festival we have all seen the work the organising committee put in year on year. Our many Lymm Events draw people from all over the area and are an amazing testament to the hard work that goes on behind the scenes for everyone to enjoy. Thank you all of you who have made these events a success and it really is about time people in Lymm stopped back stabbing, tittletattling and bickering about matters that affect our wonderful community events. We are lucky to have them.