Neil of Whitenoise has contacted me with regards to why the queue
in to the site was so long and the need for security.
“The reason why there was such a queue was
because an articulated lorry and a tractor got stuck on the Rushford Rd, our
main entrance road in and then was trapped with hundreds of VW's behind them, this
obviously contributed to most of the snarl up. We had a mile and a half
track for entry but when people arrive up to 5hrs before gates open they are
stuffing it up for everyone else.
It is actually impossible to open more
entry gates because you would then get 4 times the amount of people heading to
camp and would then run the risk of general, family and club camping getting
mixed up and access roads not kept clear which would then mean that if there
was a fire the engine wouldn't be able to get to it. We have very strict
guidelines from the council that highways must be kept clear and that all
attendees are kept safe.
The security were never instructed to
search every vehicle although the council had requested 1 in 3 for glass
bottles but as there were queues they probably searched more than intended as
traffic wasn't moving. There is a fine balance between making people feel safe
and making people feel they are a bit heavy handed but these are the same
security that we have used for the last 8 years so nothing much has changed
other than there are more of them and this is only because I am aware of
problems seeping into the festival and probably every other festival and
everyday life in general”
Neil also had this to say with regards to
the festival as a whole.
“I think what we offer as a VW show is far
more than any other show we have been to, we like to challenge the boundaries
with things like the circus. We will continue to push the boundaries with more
art installations, theatrical performances etc because in a very crowded market
we need to stand alone and all of the things we bring to Whitenoise, which are
all free are what we are passionate about and that's what most VW shows lack, a
bit of passion.”
