| I have been approached by the neighbouring wholesale nursery who wish to purchase a proportion of our showground. I have spent much time deliberating this and considering the options. Factors that had to be taken in to account included the following:
The strain that the current event calendar places on our resources throughout the year in terms of administration, legislation, Health and Safety, licensing and insurance requirements. In particular the traffic management issues caused by our larger shows and the consequential nuisance to our neighbours.
The ability to invest in new opportunities within the smaller showground area, with improved infrastructure and scope to host small scale events more efficiently.
The long term prosperity of our core business, that of the Battlesbridge Antiques Centre. Namely the financial climate in the retail sector and the continual investment required in the number of old buildings and grounds that we own and maintain.
My age! Although I have no intention of retiring just yet, I will be in my 70th year next year and suffering minor heart flutters and knee replacements, and wishing to spend more quality "me time" with friends and family.
With all of this in mind, I have taken the difficult decision to reduce my holdings of land within the coming months. We shall be introducing a 'new' events calendar for 2019, which will include past events that we have adequate space for, along with a number of new events which shall form new the direction of our showground. We will continue supporting the Battlesbridge Motorcycle Museum and the Annual Bike Shows, etc.
The 2019 Calendar will shortly appear on our website www.battlesbridge.com and in our regular newsletters.
Unfortunately our May Classic Car Show, August Classic Ford Show & our September Grand Motorbilia Shows will no longer appear in their current form, as well as the annual Essex V DUBBERS Camping Weekend and Custom Culture Show. Our camping, Caravanning and Storage Facilities will not be affected.
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