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Gig in the Garden '08 threatened by complaints. - Ben Lawrance (14th Sep 2007 - 18:57:37) It is looking doubtful that GITG '08 will take place next year due to the increased amount of complaints from local residents. I have had numerous letters from EHDC advising me of the complaints, and 1 letter threatening jail sentences and fines for operating outside of our licenses times. I thought i would be the first to let the good people of Liphook know the bad news before the press make up their own version. The letters state that the "noise" caused distress and disturbance over 1km away, and that "loud anti-social music" could be heard at 2pm on the Saturday. I will hold my hand up and say yes, the sound system was turned on about 2pm, but only to make sure it was working ok. Within 5/10 minutes it was turned off. This news has caused some of our major sponsors to back out of next years event (probably due to the bad press) and if we cannot find new sponsors, then it looks like next years event will be cancelled. It is a shame that a few people can ruin a good night for the rest of the village. Not to mention, the charity we raise money for. I feel that GITG has evolved over the last 3 years, and has certainly become an event that is put in everyones calendar. It will be a shame if we are forced to cancel. If you know of anyone / a company that would like to sponsor GITG, please get in touch with me on 07790264316 or info@gitg.org. Thank you to every who came to this years event. If you haven't already seen them, photos are now online at www.gitg.org Kind Regards Ben Lawrance GITG.org

Re: Gig in the Garden '08 threatened by complaints. - purplecurly (15th Sep 2007 - 11:38:36) Honestly, you really do wonder how gigs and events can possibly be held anywhere in the UK without some NIMBY who is determined not to enjoy it complaining. For Gods sake, we a talking about ONE NIGHT, which benefits the community as a whole and finances worthy charitable causes. These bloody people make me so cross I could spit. Its almost as bad as the idiots who complain about fireworks on bonfire night. IT happens – its temporary – let people enjoy themselves once in a while and get over it!

Re: Gig in the Garden '08 threatened by complaints. - sue (15th Sep 2007 - 15:04:01) I am with you Purple Curly - everyone has to learn to be a bit flexible. I am surprised that the Carnival has not had objections due to noise, litter, gatherings of the masses and heaven for bid a fun fair on the green!! Seriously though, once a year is not much to put up with, considering money is raised for a good cause - I hope those complaining never need to use the facility!!

Re: Gig in the Garden '08 threatened by complaints. - jo (16th Sep 2007 - 14:01:06) Dear oh dear. What on earth is the world coming to when people will make a complaint about a once a year charity event because of the noise? Maybe it sounded so awful because you were too far away to appreciate it. Maybe if you went there and supported the cause it was raising money for you might have felt differently. Some of these charitable organisations would not be able to survive if it wasn't for people that put their time, effort and hard work into doing things like GITG. There is a lot that goes into staging something like this behind the scenes that most of us are unaware of in order for everything to run smoothly. Lets hope you will never need a service from a charity like Macmillan Cancer Care. you should be ashamed of yourselves. What will it be next, complaining that children are disturbing the peace while trick or treating? Will it be to ban bonfire night because the bangs are too loud or will it be to moan that people have woken you up in the night on new years eve singing Auld Lang Syne? Come on you people, have a heart and next time think what consequences a complaints letter will have before you send it.

Re: Gig in the Garden '08 threatened by complaints. - Eneida (16th Sep 2007 - 18:49:06) Yes, I agree with the other posters....it's a great shame people are so intolerant, especially when it's for such a good cause! I wonder where all these people who complained live...I'm on the Headley Road, less than 1km away from the Anchor and hardly heard a thing when sitting in the garden and nothing at all once indoors..... Eneida

Re: Gig in the Garden '08 threatened by complaints. - Louise (17th Sep 2007 - 02:08:24) Like everyone else I am saddened by this. The people who complained must be very miserable individuals. But no one has mentioned the other villains in the story.... local bylaws.... as enforced by EHDC. Instead of bureaucratically following standard procedures, the Council should have used its discretion, then this wouldn't be an issue. And they surely must have powers of discretion otherwise nothing would ever happen anywhere. Rules should be based on common sense.......in this case, weigh up the numbers (Ben, do you have a rough attendance figure?)...... if more people complained than were participating in the event, then ok, action should be taken by the Council. But if many more local people were enjoying the music than the number of complaints, as I'm sure was the case, then the council should just send a polite reply to the complainers explaining the position, and leave it there. Sending a letter to Ben mentioning jail and fines sounds like something from the dark ages. Instead they should be congratulating him for his community spirit and hard work. If the Council acted on every trivial complaint they receive, life would be impossible. Taken to it's logical conclusion, we could end up with children being forced to stay indoors in summer because the neighbours don't like the sound of them playing and laughing in the garden. It would be different if GitG happened every month, but once a year is not too much to ask. I heard the sound test in the afternoon, but it was fine, and although I didn't attend the event, I enjoyed hearing the music in the distance. I bet the people who complained don't think twice about disturbing the peace every weekend cutting their grass with a noisy mower or trimmimg the hedge with an electric machine. It may be that the complainers don't go out a lot, don't read local papers or use Talkback and were unaware that GitG was going to take place, and that it was for charity. This doesn't excuse their intolerant attitudes but lack of pre-awareness may be a contributing factor. A suggestion for next year, if, as we all hope, GitG happens again, is that the event is advertised in the Liphook and Bramshott Community Magazine, so that knowledge of it reaches a wider range of local people well in advance. If certain individuals don't like the music, perhaps they can arrange to go out somewhere else that evening. Or if that is not possible due to small children, or age and infirmity, they could purchase ear plugs and keep the windows closed. I would be interested to hear the views of our local Parish Councillors on this issue.

Re: Gig in the Garden '08 threatened by complaints. - gr (17th Sep 2007 - 16:44:57) OOOPPS better turn the sound down for the carnival and buy some no noise fireworks ....... I wonder how many complained about the noise for Live Aid or proms in the park ? Come on residents of Liphook don't be so unfriendly to somebody trying to do a good deed for charity. How many people who complained have needed help from Macmillan ?????? I live a stone throw away form the anchor I did not hear the Supposed 2pm deafening roar and I was outside having a BBQ with friends. Come on this is a few hours entertainment Let Liphook Live Nobody worries about the noise from church singing on sundays or church bells maybe we can ask the church centre to stop singing EVERY Sunday morning ........... That will make a few chunter oh well.

Re: Gig in the Garden '08 threatened by complaints. - Jaybee (17th Sep 2007 - 20:17:58) I start by stating that I do not know Ben Lawrance, neither have I attended any of the GIGT's. Nevertheless I am surprised to hear that a small number of people have felt it necessary to make complaints, which could spoil the enjoyment of many and at the same time deprive a good cause of much needed funds. If people had complaints about the sound levels surely this could have been made directly to the organisers or to the Anchor on the night and maybe a compromise could have been reached. To go direct to EHDC is like taking a steam hammer to crack a nut. I agree that it would be a pity if next years event had to be cancelled. I would suggest that :- (a) People who have complained should voice their complaints on this site so that we are aware of their nature and maybe some agreement could be reached and (b)Those in favour of next years event taking place, should petition EHDC

Re: Gig in the Garden '08 threatened by complaints. - Finchie (17th Sep 2007 - 20:38:03) Ben you donut - what did you go and do that for ! Anyhow - this is still a terrific event that we should all get behind. Someone actually prepared to put some significant time and effort to a) give us a good time b) raise money for a very worthy cause I hope those whingers actually put time and effort back into the community in some way shape or form. Somehow I doubt it. Cheers, Finchie

Re: Gig in the Garden '08 threatened by complaints. - Steve Read (17th Sep 2007 - 22:46:55) I knew it wouldn't be long before the old Liphook disease flairs up again.

Re: Gig in the Garden '08 threatened by complaints. - Ben Lawrance (18th Sep 2007 - 11:35:31) Hi Folks, Wow, what a response. However, i feel the content of this thread has slipped away from the original problem. I couldn't give a monkeys that people complain to EHDC, I'll just ignore them and do it anyway. The problem is that because of the bad press associated with GITG, some of our major sponsors have backed out, thus leaving the kitty a little dry. As we take no income from ticket sales, we rely on our sponsors donating to help fund it. Thats right folks, things cost money, and if we don't get the sponsorship, the good people (and a few moaners) of Liphook don't get a free gig. It has been suggested to me that we start making GITG a ticketed event. Charge £10 a head, and you automatically make about £8000. This figure is close to the amount we need. Would you be prepared to pay £10 to come to GITG in aid of charity? Please respond to that question, i really value your feedback. In the mean time, if you know of a local company who wants to get involved with community activities, send them my way. Kind Regards Ben Lawrance GITG.org [editor - just to confirm that fast.co.uk and www.itsupport.co.uk are still sponsoring the event]

Re: Gig in the Garden '08 threatened by complaints. - Eneida (18th Sep 2007 - 11:53:17) Ben, Is there no chance at all that your original sponsors may change their minds when they read the response you've had on this site?? Eneida

Re: Gig in the Garden '08 threatened by complaints. - ellen (18th Sep 2007 - 11:59:46) I would certainly be willing to pay for such a good event and cause but 10 would be a bit steep personally as I come to the gig to bring my kids x 3 so at 40 I would not be able to afford.it ..perhaps kids at half price? It makes me soooo cross at those silly, silly people complaining about that one night!

Re: Gig in the Garden '08 threatened by complaints. - Freddie Dawkins (18th Sep 2007 - 17:31:28) Ben - I'd be happy to help in sponsoring the event. It's a great evening out, for a good cause, and only once a year. This year's event was excellent, your sound engineering and staging were spot on, the security was low-key but worked very well, and the beer tent in the garden took a lot of pressure off the main bar. (Mike Grimes will back me on that one ;-) How about we speak about sponsorship for all the sound engineering, lighting, stage management, etc to keep up the quality of the event. Call me on my mobile: 07769 665 963. cheers Freddie

Re: Gig in the Garden '08 threatened by complaints. - Paul Robinson (18th Sep 2007 - 21:22:46) If your sponsors are worried about negative complaints maybe you should consider another venue like the Deer's Hut which has the space and fewer neighbours. Paul Robinson

Re: Gig in the Garden '08 threatened by complaints. - Dick (19th Sep 2007 - 00:14:31) Ben, My god !!! Music being played at the unsociable hour of 2PM. 2PM !!....2PM !!! the next thing you know is that some football match will probably be kicking off at 3pm or the church bells might toll at 4pm at a wedding. Then things will start to get out of hand. Before you know it some travelling FunFair will be playing loud music on the village green, on a Saturday afternoon and heaven forbid, if the Ice Cream man might play a loud jingle to attract custom on a Saturday. It looks like you've started something here Ben. Never before, in the history of Liphook have we heard loud noises on a Saturday afternoon. Well. Apart from the guns blasting away on the ranges at Longmoor, the thirty thousand cars and trucks that pass through the village, the trains rattling along through the station at 90 miles per hour, and all the kids cheering and screaming on sports day, the fireworks in november, the carnival day in october, the incessant din from a compressor driven road drill, the whoop whoop whoop of the occasional steam engine, lawn mowers, hedge trimmers, chain saws, squeaky wheeled push bikes, carol singers and people singing Auld Lang Sine, those men in white outfits shouting "Howzat" , apart from that we don't have any noise on a Saturday afternoon. Ben, I thought the Gig in the Garden was fantastic, it is just what Liphook wants on an annual basis. The effort you put in is commendable, the money raised is fantastic. I would be interested to know what the Parish Council thought of the event, because if they support it, why not get them to lobby the EHDC on your behalf. In the words of a famous "Local" politician...... "Don't let the Ba%*$rds grind you down. (Now I'm sure he had something to do with the EHDC.)

Re: Gig in the Garden '08 threatened by complaints. - James Arbuthnot (19th Sep 2007 - 08:55:05) I think it was b***ers.

Re: Gig in the Garden '08 threatened by complaints. - Stephen (19th Sep 2007 - 09:34:31) Ben, I am all for any event, especially charity ones but I am a little concerned with you view that you don't "give a monkeys" if anyone complains. I have no idea whether you had informed the local residents that might be affected what was happening and when. However your comment suggests a compelte lack of respect for those you haved dubbed "whingers".

Re: Gig in the Garden '08 threatened by complaints. - Mike Grimes (19th Sep 2007 - 10:16:58) Have to pull you up on your English there James, surely it should be "they were".

Re: Gig in the Garden '08 threatened by complaints. - Colonel (20th Sep 2007 - 11:36:06) Thought I'd put my oar in this one as I think young Ben needs all the support he can get - financial and otherwise. Put me down for a tenner donation - how and where, I'll leave up to you Ben - as a "fighting fund" might be a useful step forward. 'Fraid you've come up against what we used to call the kill-joy minority - miserable little buggers who hate anyone enjoying themselves. A good thrashing might sort 'em out, but you can't do that these days, more's the pity! Anyway, good luck with your efforts Ben, I'm sure local firms will rally round.

Re: Gig in the Garden '08 threatened by complaints. - nat (20th Sep 2007 - 23:42:23) This is just stupid, nearly as bad as the red arrows not being allowed at 2012 olympics. GITG is great for the village and that is that!! I think Dick has summed it up pretty well. Get a life people and find something real to moan about!!!

Re: Gig in the Garden '08 threatened by complaints. - sue (21st Sep 2007 - 17:05:06) Ben I realise that your main concern would now be how to fund the event. Yes tickets are a good idea, but like someone said £10 is too steep. How about doing other events (NOT NOISY) through out the year - like the Carnival do - hold regualr raffles, do scratch cards - anything really, have collection tins placed in the pub, which could also be extended to other business sites. Just an idea.

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