In April 2020 and in the interest of legacy I wrote a Wikipedia entry recording the thoughts and notable works of Harveywetdog. I admit I was ignorant of the rules concerning self promotion on Wikipedia and consequently my entry was correctly deleted and my account expunged from the system. As a result my original words and links were sadly lost but nevertheless here is a rewrite. Perhaps when I'm gone someone will be able to enter it onto Wikipedia as a fitting epitaph for my time on the Harveywetdog Project.
All good things come to end - goodbye to the Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park
Sadly all good things must come to end and it appears that the Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe in August is the latest event to fall foul of this universal truth.
Here at Harveywetdog we have many happy memories of The Festival, including Harvey begging for a bit of bacon roll in the Land Rover Owners' enclosure, winning the 2014 BE Eventing Cinema competition, my boots feeling as if they were catching fire after three circuits of the course one sunny Sunday and the warmth of welcome from JBP in the always immaculately turned out media centre.
Below is the official news release; where now for the National Championships - please not Aston!?
NEWS RELEASE: MONDAY 4 MARCH 2024
It is with great sadness that we announce the Magic Millions Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park will not take place this year.
Despite great determination from the organising team, the current economic climate has made it unviable for the event to go ahead. Following the adverse weather experienced at Gatcombe last year, which led to the abandonment of the event, and due to the ever-increasing costs associated with operating on a green field site, it has made the event unfeasible to run.
Event Director, Peter Phillips comments, “It is with a heavy heart that The Festival, which has played a significant part in the British Eventing calendar since 1983, cannot run this year. The event has also been a huge part of my family’s lives and those of many others for 40 years.
“It has built up a large community that has enjoyed and celebrated The Festival each year. I would like to thank everyone who has been involved over the past four decades; our sponsors for their unwavering support, the large selection of trade stands and arena entertainment and our spectators who have loved coming to Gatcombe to watch the world-class equestrian sport from the famous Park Bowl.”
"It's truly a great sadness that the original model and indeed the sport has changed so much"
Event Chairman, Captain Mark Phillips adds, “The horse trials at Gatcombe and more recently the Festival of British Eventing have been a major part of my life for over 40 years when The Princess Royal and I first had the dream. The dream became reality, and with it, many special memories of the many riders, horses, volunteers, sponsors and spectators all of whom massively contributed to the history of the horse trials at Gatcombe Park.
“It's truly a great sadness that the original model and indeed the sport has changed so much. Since Covid, costs, particularly insurance, have risen so much that the numbers no longer add up. It is an end of an era, the next 40 years of the sport will be different, let’s hope it can be equally special.”
Rosie Williams, Chief Executive of British Eventing said, “It is incredibly sad news for everyone involved in the sport. My focus this year is very much going to be on how we can implement a strategy that works for the sport going forward. We need to do everything we can to find a way to support our organisers, landowners and stakeholders to make events at wonderful venues like Gatcombe become viable. We will work hard as a governing body to assist in any way we can for the financial risk and burden to be minimised so that we can welcome Gatcombe, and others like it, back into the calendar.
“We will continue to be ongoing in discussions with Peter and the team at Gatcombe and will also be, as a matter of urgency, discussing a tender process for the National Championships which will need to find a new home for this season and going forward.”
David spent approaching 50 years in Her Majesty's Electricity Supply Industry before retiring
He was part of the highly successful design team on the Sizewell B Nuclear Power Station Project before spending 25 years producing safety cases to keep our aging AGR fleet generating for the good of the nation
He is responsible for the Harveywetdog YouTube Channel which he maintains as an outlet for his creative talents
David has recently recovered from blood cancer but refuses to be a victim
All views are his own but might be influenced by the medication he's had to take
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