Battle of Flowers cancelled: What do people think?

Yahoo

16-03-2025

Members of the public, people involved and politicians have been reacting to the cancellation of Jersey's 2025 Battle of Flowers.
Organisers announced on Friday the event, which was first held in 1902, would not go ahead due to financial difficulties including a £150,000 overspend in 2024.
The Battle Strategy Group, a breakaway committee from the organisation, has promised to hold a smaller version of the event for islanders this year.
Jersey's chief minister and former battle chair, Lyndon Farnham, said the event "needs a complete recalibration, both logistically and financially, following the lessons learnt from 2024".
Chris Bidan's family has been making floats for battle for generations said the cancellation was "devastating".
"I'm a little bit disappointed this has happened and if things had been done slightly differently things might have been okay," he said.
"Until we know the full extent or where the money has gone we won't know about battle moving forwards.
"We want to keep it going."
Martyn Maguire leads the Battle Strategy Group breakaway committee and said the financial situation of the event was "unclear".
"We are in a difficult situation where we don't know what our bottom line is financially," he said.
"The board aren't talking to us, we are waiting for an AGM (annual general meeting) to happen.
"We cannot let this happen again."
He added: "As a group of exhibitors we promise we will put something on for islanders.
"We are desperate to keep it going, we want to keep it going, in fact we will keep it going."
Russell Labey, the chairman of the Battle of Flowers, said the decision was "disappointing" but it was "sensible to take the time to secure a lasting future for the event".
Sheena Ferrand said she has spent £400 on flights to bring her granddaughters to the island in August to see the Battle of Flowers.
She lived in Jersey for 30 years before moving to Scotland in 2014 and said the trip was about nostalgia.
"When we lived there we went all the time as my daughter was always involved in the parade," she said.
She said her daughter, who was born in Jersey, was "absolutely devastated" by the event's cancellation as she was looking forward to showing it to her own children.
Ms Ferrand added that they were still planning on visiting the island and hoped other events would be taking place.
Connétable of Grouville, Mark Labey, said the cancellation of the event was a "tragedy".
"It's part of our heritage, it's part of our history, it's part of a lot of people's lives," he said.
"There are many individuals around the island that spend over 1000 hours a year making these floats.
"I'm sure there will be a lot of people who have been heavily involved with battle for many years that will be very disappointed."
Jersey resident Imogen Brooks was asked for her thoughts and said: "I think it's definitely a shame, a lot of families look forward to it, it's kind of a part of the Jersey calendar.
"It's something that gets passed down from generation to generation.
"People grow up doing it and then their kids end up doing it. I think it will be a loss for Jersey for sure."
Cheif Minister Lyndon Farnham said he was disappointed but "not altogether surprised".
"I'm confident battle will return in 2026 and they can be assured of the government's continued support moving forward," he said.
Minister for Sustainable Economic Development, Deputy Kirsten Morel, said the "right way forward" needed to be found.
"We understand the battle's deep significance for many islanders, and we are working with the battle to secure its long-term future," he said.
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