WESES Cornish Steam Fair

[UJ2225]

I thought the rally at Stithians was pretty good but to be honest it was nothing like the old St Agnes rallies.

I appreciate times change and things have to move on but to me Stithians is now just another rally and that special wow factor has gone...

Well done to all those involved with Stithians.

[sparkright]

How do you pronounce 'Stithians'?!

Yours
A. N. Emmet

[johnsawle]

It rhymes with Gwithian and Mithian!

[island steamer]

I think the nail has been hit straight on the head. It wasn't the ground that needed moving it was the time of year. The St Agnes site was one of the best ive seen, it had all the space needed, not crammed in to small areas and movement of engines i would have thought a lot easier. Its a very trying job for a show committee to keep every one happy and i take my hat off to those that try but i think they should think hard about weather to stay at Stithians or not. My vote is to put there pride in there pocket and go back to St Agnes. You no it makes sense.

[dolcoathuk]

Having read the posts in this thread, and visited the Cornish Steam and Country Fair on the Sunday, I can agree with many of the comments.

I hope that the members of the WESES committee who are members here view the comments as constructive and incorporate them into their post event discussions. Nobody wants to see the rally fail, and I am sure that it can be 'tweaked' to improve the experience for those who visit for the steam exhibits, and to offer something to appeal to a wide range of the public.

However, here are a couple of my views, bearing in mind how it was marketed this year. On arrival, the first exhibit you saw was a Spitfire plane. Whilst it is a great British icon, why was it given such prominence? Surely Trevithick's 'Puffing Devil', which was in steam on its transporter, would have given a much more appropriate first impression of the event.

Another issue, mentioned elsewhere is the location of the Full size steam exhibits. The area used, whilst no doubt very suitable for their storage overnight, does not allow for the public to view them easily. One of the best sites at St. Agnes was the line-up of engines alongside the main ring, disappearing in to the distance. A great photograph. It would be great if a more prominent display area could be found for next year. Also next year, could you have The Gladiator and any other Showmans Engines generating for the fair. Personally, I also think that it would be better to have the Country fair aspects, such as the demonstrations of rope making etc. and craft tent more prominent than car and lorry sales, so would swap their locations around.

Having been involved for a number of years in the organisation of outdoor events that have suffered dwindling entries and spectator numbers, I know that there is no simple answer to increasing, and maintaining public support. Events have to adapt to survive. However, I believe that all of us with a love of steam will support the event, if it can offer what we want to see. With that in mind, may I offer one suggestion for consideration.

I think that the organisers should canvas the opinion of the exhibitors and the public on how they would like the Rally to evolve. This could be done by producing a brief questionnaire for distribution via the Section Secretaries to exhibitors, and one for the public via their website and club journal. The results could be fed into the planning for next year to give us an event that stays as a permanent fixture in our Summer calendar.

[mickval]

I have been rallying now for over 20 years, only with a miniature, However some of my fellow ralliers and I have seen what is happening,and its has been mentioned above. There are TOO MANY non steam exdhibits now being allowed to take over the rally field. This has happened to me twice this year, and on one, no names no pack drill, the organisers didn't know where to put us because they had allowed loads of Modern HGVs with nicely painted cabs onto the rally, who it was said had paid to be allowed onto the field, whether or not this was true., up to 20 in fact, I do not know. They had the best and flatest part of what is a rough field One owned by the Rally Organisers, I might add. In consequence we were put in the roughest part, and having smaller wheels it was to say the least,''dangerous'' to move about even to venture into the ring, We were as far away from the public entrance as could be. They were placed at the side of the main entrance, Therefore it spoilt my whole weekend, as I was unable [ unwilling] to move with the prospect of a snapped front axle being a possibility.I have supported this rally for several years, but after this year,I am afraid it will be a no-no in furture. There was also too many Put-Puts,barn engines or whatever you call em. So Organisers, chuck out 75% of your non steam exhibits and concentrate on encouraging proper steam . Otherwise just call the show a Bits and Pieces show, as calling some of em a Steam Rally infringes the Trades Description Act.

[beach cleaner]

I don't normally post replies to such posts however I am a little incensed by the above regarding non steam exhibits etc, I see the constructive criticisms that should be taken as such however the idea that organisers should get rid of other exhibits such as commercials, stationary engines etc in favour of miniatures, is ridiculous. I don't tend to exhibit at shows anymore but did so for 25 years plus and I always thought the idea was Preservation, there is nothing wrong with miniatures at all but most of these are modern machines powered by steam, my own tractor dates from 1934 and is vintage, why remove it for a miniature engine that may be only 2 years old. Most shows bill themselves as Steam and Vintage Rallies, the clue is in the title. Rant over

[EASy]

Ditto the post made by 'beach cleaner'.

Originally Posted by mickval

There was also too many Put-Puts,barn engines or whatever you call em.

I consider that to be an incredibly ignorant and inappropriate remark.

[dolcoathuk]

I think that 'Beach Cleaner' and 'EASy' both make very valid points.

To make an event viable in the current climate of financial restraint, the organisers must appeal to the widest variety of the paying public as possible. Vintage tractor's, stationary engines etc, have a wide appeal to many people and should be welcomed as such for the role they have in our Industrial and Farming heritage. Hence my view that the Cornish Steam and Country Fair needs tweaking and not necessarily major change.

There have been a lot of positive comments, both here and elsewhere, that have justifiably congratulated the organisers for the tremendous effort they have put in to staging a successful event, to which I would add my congratulations too. Lets all pull together to support WESES in the future to keep this annual event going for many years to come.

[tdmcman]

The steam & preservation world needs to stick together and support rallies, if we don’t do this then some events will fall by the wayside, so please guys (and girls) don’t knock the individuals who are no doubt trying their best to make their show a success.
Having said that; whilst most people plan to fail unfortunately many people fail to plan, so rally organisers need to look at what works for them and try to improve their event.
Remember the old adage KISS; Keep it Simple Stupid.

Due to family illness I wasn’t able to attend the WESES rally this year so it’s difficult to comment on WESES’s 2013 presentation however I have attended many of their previous events including the top field at Tywarnhayle Farm.
To be successful an event needs to have one or more focal points, the site at Tywarnhayle Farm (Top or Bottom Field) had the Engine Hill road run as a major attraction, officially it was run every four years; some of the diehard miniatures owners and a few full size use to do it every year!!!!!
We were prepared to travel huge distances just to complete a 12 mile or so road run, we use to joke on the Thursday “ that’s Engine Hill done we can go home now”
In addition to the road run there was considerable free movement on the site, a good full size engine line up, working exhibits of wood sawing; threshing & ploughing; good Saturday night entertainment/Fairground; trade stands; crafts tent; etc.
In theory you could stay on site for nigh on two weeks, steam and a holiday all in one, how good does that get!!!!!
My experience of Stithians is that not much of the above is currently available, that’s not to say that something/s can be put in place to attract both exhibitors & paying public, successful events require both.
There is a place for all sorts of preservation projects on the rally field and if you have a good mix then it makes an interesting show for both exhibitors and the public.
Whether its steam; internal combustion; commercial; stationary; tractors; motor bikes; military; classic cars or good old Heavy Horse somebody likes it and is prepared to pay to see it.
My view has always been to enjoy your particular hobby and have a great time, if you’re wish is to look at only one type of exhibit then organise an event that focuses on that particular genre, whatever it is I doubt that format would last in the long run.
I organize our annual club rally, anybody doing something similar will know it’s not an easy task; constructive criticism can be welcome but if you haven’t organised an event yourself please don’t knock the individuals who are giving their time for free to try and make a success of something