UKC

From Mike Weeks, organiser of the DWS festival that was to be held September 6th and 7th at Conner Cove and Winspit Quarry.

"I'm afraid we have had to cancel this year's DWS festival."

More at: http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/older.html?month=08&year=2008#n45255

In reply to UKC News: Thats a real shame, this was to be my first DWS festival. Lets hope that all the hard work you guys put in will enable it to happen next year. Is it possible to just have it on a smaller scale?

Perhaps you should name and shame the sponsor.

In reply to deacondeacon: If it's the same main sponsor as previous years then it's Red Bull.

In reply to UKC News:
RedBull have nothing to do with the festival. The sponsor that pulled out was FatFace.
Apologies again to everyone.

In reply to Mike Weeks: Sorry to hear. I'd like to go and see this kind of event some day. I guess not this year. Have you thought of holding it at bowles? You could put a paddling pool under Temptation.

In reply to Mike Weeks:

In that case I will never buy any of their overpriced clothing.

In reply to UKC News: Bit rich calling it the 'UK DWS Festival' when there are others.......like the Scottish DWS Festival at Craig Stirling Aberdeenshire on Saturday!

Andy

In reply to andyinglis: Who called it the UK DWS festival?

Rich: Title of the forum has just been changed from UK to English....

In reply to Chris F:


I never buy it at full price - but their sales are ace

In reply to Chris F:

haha brilliant

In reply to andyinglis:

WOOOOO!

In reply to andyinglis:

Photos from last year's festival here, if anyone's interested -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10990580@N03/page5/

In reply to UKC News:
So the sponsors have pulled out - there will be no banners, no sound-system, no prizes. But there will be water, there will be rock, and there CAN still be loads of people and a great atmosphere. Just because the sponsors have pulled out doesnt mean the festival has to be cancelled. I for one am going regardless, and intend to have an awesome time. Anyone else up for it?

In reply to Mike Weeks: Ball park how much money is needed for it to happen ?

In reply to Ben C: Realistically? none. like the dude said above.
BYOB, and a instant bbq (just make sure you take it away with you, too)= DWS fest.

In reply to MRJ: My comment was directed to Mike Weeks on the amount of sponsorship required.

In reply to LastBoyScout:

I've never bought any, and am unlikely to start.

In reply to adderz:

Cheers. If sponsoring events like this is done to increase sales, withdrawing sponsorship should have a reverse effect.

In reply to MRJ:
hi i am Mikes business partner so to the guys planning on going down regardless be warned. the reason why we need sponsorship for the event is to get insurance, safety boats, a license, portaloos, BBQ, sound system etc. i think the key thing here though is the word license. we liaise with the police, the national trust and natural england to make sure that the whole event can go ahead. the police amongst others are VERY protective about the land down there and have in the passed arrested people having parties down there without permission so be warned.

In reply to Ben C:
Ben C i am Mikes business partner. feel free to drop me a line at jez@x1sports.com and we can chat

In reply to UKC News:
Admittedly I hadnt thought of safety boats and portaloos. But regarding a licence, doesnt the very fact that an 'unofficial' dws fest is unofficial mean that it doesnt need a licence? I.e. in the absence of a big tent, sponsors etc, doesn't it cease to be a festival at all in the eyes of the police, and just a group of people deep water soloing? What do you think?

In reply to UKC News:
anyone heading down from the north east (england) live near middlesbrough and will hitch a lift and weigh in with motion lotion on my tod or with mate(s).

mail jas wood of this forum !

jas@work

In reply to Conor1: Where would you hold the camping/bbq? If you intended to use Winspit without the land owners permission (and probably cash) you would get a visit from the local rozzers and may ban climbing for those that live here... might need a little more thought or you'd have to have a really quiet party with a smokeless fire and invisible tents.

In reply to JIMBO:

Couldn't agree more.

Please don't use Winspit (or anywhere else like that) for parties. No-one will have any real issue with more people than usual turning up and climbing during the day, but a disorganised pi$$up is going to screw access in the area for years to come.

Steve
Swanage Access Rep

In reply to Conor1:

Ill echo the other sentiments, Winspit climbing access seems to be a bit fragile at the moment so please dont piss off the land owner. Also we got rumbled by he police in a bivi spot near here that I have been using for a while (despite having never lit fires/left litter) a couple of weeks ago, a local obviously complained, so if they notice a couple of people trying to subtlely camp between 1am and 7am, then they will probably notice a full on party taking place in the vicinity.

In reply to UKC News:
The access at Winspit is highly sensitive and my business partner has spent months getting the trust of the land owner - and building a case that climbers are responsible land users.

So please, please do not use the site if there are more than a handful of people as we really would like to use it in the future for insured,organized events.

I'll do my usual sundance for you all on the 5/6th

In reply to Mike Weeks:
There are lots of officila camp sites around the area. If you are driving a long way. e.g.
http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/details.asp?revid=2614
etc.

It shouldn't be too busy anywhere as the schools are back ...as Jimbo knows...haha.

In reply to Steve:

But...It is the weekend of the Swanage Folk Festival! The town and the pubs will be full, as will Tom's Field. The sight of 400 people with bells on their legs and waving hankies is something to behold!

In reply to UKC News: I am very gutted. I guess i'm going to have rethink my climbing plans for that weekend.

In reply to anthonyecc:

You could just go down anyway if the weather's good. It's a bloody shame though, I agree.

In reply to JIMBO:
In reply to jimbo, steve and richard:
Who ever said anything about having a party at winspit? It certainly wasn't me. I just think it's a little bit strange that everyone feels that the loss of a sponsor means game over for the festival - do you REALLY need portaloos, or a barbeque, or a soundsystem, in order to have a laugh? Sure they help, but i'd much rather go deep water soloing in the sunshine (retaining my naive optimism) with loads of people and then go for a pint and back to a campsite, than sit on my arse at home moaning about how you 'cant go deep water soloing cus fat face pulled out'. Bollox to that.

In reply to UKC News: Is a festival even required? Seems stupid to me to have lots of people soloing at once as a crazy mentality can take over. I prefer small groups because large scale competition, drinking and lemming like following others on routes seems risky. Why do so many people go just when there is a competition and not otherwise?

I guess its also because I like nature. If everyone gets beered up in the quarry its going to make climbers look like something they're not.