The annual Wilmslow Street Party, which was set to celebrate 10 years next month, has been cancelled due to a lack of funding.
For the previous nine years, organiser Khumi Burton has brought thousands of local residents together on the August Bank Holiday Monday for a free family event on Grove Street - providing the opportunity for young and old to get together for a day out whilst supporting local charities.
Khumi Burton, who organises the event voluntarily, wrote to the charities who have come together once in a year on Grove Street, to raise awareness of their existence and make a little bit of money for their charity, to inform them that the event is not possible this year because the funding has been withdrawn.
Khumi said "All these years this was made possible by help from Cheshire County Council and then Cheshire East Council. The money came from the budget of Diane Smith, Town Centre Manager, to cover the stage, stalls with covers and road closures or the day. This came to just under £2000 a year.
"Unfortunately I am told that this service is being withdrawn and so the Street Party cannot go ahead. I understand the situation but I am very sad that a non-profit-making community event, which happens once in a year and brings in people from different parts of the county and benefits those shops which open on Grove Street as well as the charities that come free, is no longer to be held because of lack of money."
She added "I want to thank everyone who has supported this event over the years and I also want to thank all the entertainers who came free, contributing their talents to make it a worthwhile visit for families, residents and visitors.
"I enjoyed organising this event over the years for the community."
Updated Thursday 19th July:
A spokesman for Cheshire East Council said: "Cheshire East Council has generously supported this community event each year – providing up to £2,500 a year, plus organisational support from town centre manager Diane Smith, who also attended on the day.
"The Council advised the organiser last August that, due to the tough financial situation and the proposed devolution of some responsibilities to town and parish councils, Cheshire East, regrettably, could no longer support the event.
"Town Centre management services, and their budgets, became the responsibility of town councils, such as Wilmslow's, from April 1 this year. These councils have their own sizeable budgets to spend as they wish.
"However, it is understood that the street party's organiser applied to Wilmslow Town Council for funding only on Monday (July 16).
"Cheshire East Council hopes that this excellent community event will continue and we give it our best wishes."
Comments
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I also want to correct that no one told me this in August last year.
I acted by email only on 13th July (copies sent to wilmslow.co.uk, charities and councillors of CEC and Town Councillors) because a few of the charities started wanting to book a stall. Hence the contents of my email which wilmslow.co.uk very kindly printed for me.
I then received a few phone calls from some town councillors over the weekend and on Monday 16th I received an email asking me to fill a form to ask for a grant from the Town Council. It did not cross my mind to apply for grant to the Town Council because of the contents of my meeting on 20th March.
Anyway I did fill in and dropped it off about 2ish on the 16th. The stalls and stage provider were contacted by the Town Council to see if they could provide the necessary requirements and were told ‘yes’. I had emphasised that in all the years I have done the Street Party the money incurred for hiring of stalls/stage was paid directly by the Town Manager. No money comes to me. I do this with the best intentions voluntarily for the charities who come on the day and the community and people in and around Wilmslow. This is one event in the calendar of Wilmslow which is free for everyone… the young, parents, grandparents etc.
I received an email from the Clerk of the Town Council on Friday 20th saying "It is with regret that I would advise that despite our efforts it has not been possible to organise the short notice additional meeting of the Town Council that I had hoped to hold next Monday.
"As a result the Town Council will not be able to consider your funding request for this year’s Bank Holiday Street Party at this late stage. A number of Councillors have expressed their support for a charity event and I feel sure will be happy to consider what sort of support that the Council may be able to give in future."
All I can say is .. I had enjoyed organising this event for the past 9 years with the support of MBC and CEC…. Helping towards a bit of footfall in Wilmslow on a Bank holiday … whether it rains or not for charities and bring a bit of life on Grove street with various entertainers who give their time completely free .. to suit every age.
I now can relax and not be worried about the weather and also putting put signs around Wilmslow a week before and wondering it they will be removed again in spite of this event being a community one!!! Last year all the six banners and poles were removed without my knowledge which led to people wondering and ringing me up if it was happening?
I take it as my life’s experience and anyway I am glad I did give back a little something to the Community I have enjoyed living for the past 36 years without anyone paying me anything to do this.
May Wilmslow pull itself up again and be the Wilmslow I knew when I first set foot in 1976.
When I was told the news in March that there was no help .. I assumed rightly or wrongly .. it came from the Town Council and so I did not do anything.
If I had known that it was not from the Town Council I would have applied. Things might have different outcome.
As you can see from my article .. I was invited to apply on 16th by the Town Council and was turned down on 20th. It is now blamed on short notice!!!
Artisan Market is a private enterprise organised to increase footfall in Wilmslow by 2 remarkable ladies.
Rather ungenerously , instead of praising Khumi Burton for her voluntary work , started nine years ago when the Big Society was only a glint in David Cameron's eye, the tax payer subsidised propaganda department pointed a finger at her for filling in a form too late.
But like all propoganda departments, Cheshire East's only tells a version of the truth, not the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. It failed to tell us that this is a tale of two councils,
Cheshire East and Wilmslow Town council, which have clearly failed to have a proper discussion about which devolved powers have been passed down . And it is has resulted in the worst of days for the residents of Wilmslow who have to pay more in council tax for the town council, and yet are getting reduced services. A well supported community event costing the tax payer a measly £2,500, the equivalent of one person's council tax bill, has been scrapped, and the enthusiasm of the voluntary organiser dulled. The twin terrors of the Tory controlled councils of Wilmslow and Cheshire East , both generously suported by the council tax payer, have given their Prime Minister's Big Society a big kick in the teeth..
And what of poor Khumi Burton? All she wanted to was give something back to the community in Wilmslow, and she gets a public ticking off from a faceless bureaucrat in the generously tax payer subsidiised Cheshire East propagnda department for filling in a useless form too late.
I think Khumi Burton deserves a generous apology from the generously tax payer subsidised propaganda department. And who better to deliver it than its beloved leader, Coun. Michael Jones?
I have attended this event last few years and it was wonderful.