Latest news with #CharlieMay
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Father reveals teen son's fears he was 'going to die' after 'being spiked at Boardmasters' - but festival organisers deny any incidents
A teenage festivalgoer thought he 'was going to die' after an alleged spiking at Boardmasters festival, his father has revealed. Brothers Cooper, 17, and Charlie May, 19, attended the five-day event in Newquay, Cornwall, which took place from August 8 until August 10 of this year. But while enjoying watching headline act RAYE in the midst of a bustling crowd, what was supposed to be a fun a weekend away took a dark turn for the youngest sibling. His father Roly May, better known as Daddy May on social media, said while in the crowd Cooper suddenly began to 'freak out', feeling 'really hot' and 'weird'. Roly told The Daily Mail: 'His mates were kind of conscious that potentially he might have been spiked because there's a lot of chat going around about it.' The May family have well over two million social media followers across their social media channels, with droves of fans flocking to take snaps with Cooper at the event. And as such, when the youngster decided to head back to his tent after the suspected spiking, he opted to not attend a medical tent to avoid being spotted by fans. 'He'd already been getting a bit of quite a bit of attention and he just didn't want to put himself in with everyone else when he was feeling that way,' his father added. But, shortly after arriving back to his tent the 17-year-old feared falling asleep. 'He didn't want to go to sleep because I think he thought he was gonna die basically,' Roly added. 'So he was really conscious about going to bed. However, the event soon took a dark turn for the youngster while he was watching the headline act on August 8, as he and his parents believed he was spiked 'He said he finally got to sleep around four in the morning and then they found the spike mark on his arm. 'That's when they assumed it, [a spiking] had happened,' the father added. 'He can't explain it any other way.' It comes as claims surfaced online that Boardmasters concertgoers were being spiked with needles in the crowd. However, organisers have said anti-social behaviour was 'significantly' down this year. There were 14 suspected spiking incidents this year, down from 55 in 2024, according to a spokesperson, with none testing positive for drugs in their system. In a statement they said online claims were 'misinformation' and spiking had not been a 'prevalent issue' at the event over the last two years. Boardmasters also said drug-related incidents had fallen from 2.65 to 1.79 percent in 2025, with zero hospitalisations over the weekend. They described the 'clear reduction in anti-social behaviour, including sexual assault,' this year as 'encouraging', before adding that 'even one incident is too many.' In 2024, research conducted by Drinkaware and Anglia Ruskin University suggested 90 percent of spiking incidents went unreported to police. Despite the event's denial of any spikings, parents Roly and Katy have called on the festival to take actions instead of 'burying their heads in the sand.' They raised concerns over security, alleging there were a lack of patrols on campsite, and threats had been made to set Cooper's tent on fire. 'They've got to do something. Year on year it's becoming worse and worse because everyone's kind of getting smarter about bringing things in,' Roly said. 'I think they're setting themselves up for a massive problem,' he added. 'I don't want Boardmasters to be stopped, I just want it to be safe. 'I feel like its an inevitable problem they they're going to give themselves because they're not listening and they're just kind of burying their head in the sand. Regarding the effects of the alleged spiking on Cooper, his mother Katy said: 'I don't know what he'll feel like if he did get into another crowd. 'I'm not so sure he'll feel that comfortable. 'It's really difficult because obviously, he is also a teenager, so when we ask the question, he doesn't necessarily want to talk to us. 'It definitely has affected him, but as you know, we don't know really the extent of the effect on him yet because it's only just happened.' Boardmasters have said they are unable to comment on Cooper's experience as there is no record of him using medical or welfare facilities at the festival. The festival said 'spiking of any kind is not acceptable or tolerated', and anyone found doing so at the event would be reported to police and evicted from the festival immediately. It also echoed a similar message for anti-social behaviour, including tent burning, citing their swift action to shut down planned anti-social behaviour on the last night of the festival. Boardmasters also stated they could 'categorically confirm that staff patrol the campsites 24 hours a day throughout the duration of the festival', including security staff as well as campsite managers. It also added CCTV is in place across 'key areas' of the event, and that 'all welfare, security, and support services are directly linked [to their] central Event Control Room to ensure a continuous presence, rapid response and the highest level of safety for the audience.' The festival encouraged festivalgoers to visit medical and welfare facilities or ask a steward or member of staff for help if they have issues 'no matter how big or small'. 'Boardmasters cannot control the behaviour of others but take every step possible to educate everyone on respect and creating a safe and inclusive environment for all. They added: 'If the festival is notified of any on site issues, the team will make efforts to swiftly deal with them.' They also stated that 'unfortunately' spiking and antisocial behaviour were societal issues which can occur in everyday life. Last week, Boardmasters CEO Andrew Topham said the event was committed to improving safety at their festival after the event announced there were zero spiking reports at the event. 'While one incident is always one too many, this reduction shows that the work we do, alongside our partners, is making a real difference. 'We remain committed to creating a space where everyone, of all ages, can enjoy the festival safely and respectfully, and doing everything we can to prevent harm whilst supporting those affected. He added: 'We will continue to invest in on-site support services, ensuring every attendee has access to the care, guidance, and protection they need while at the festival.' Devon & Cornwall Police Inspector for Newquay, Steve Johnson, said: 'This year we saw a reduction in the number of incidents reported to police in relation to Boardmasters, with a total of six arrests made. 'In both the planning phase and during the festival we worked closely with partner agencies to create and implement robust plans which promoted a safe and smooth-running event for those attending and for the local community. 'I'd like to thank the officers, festival staff and all the partners who played a part in bringing those plans together and delivering a safe event.' Devon and Cornwall Police received a report of a needle spiking, however this is understood to have been unconfirmed.
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘A Crazy Sign': How Meadowlands Pace Winner Charlie May Inspired A Family
'A Crazy Sign': How Meadowlands Pace Winner Charlie May Inspired A Family originally appeared on Paulick Report. This is a story about a boy and a girl who loved a racehorse so much that he inspired them to combine a little old-fashioned stubbornness with a little divine intervention for the greatest gift of and Dean May are a married pair of 30-year-olds who love going to The Meadowlands. They aren't regulars, but the one date etched in stone on their calendar every year is Meadowlands Pace Night, a card they've attended for about a decade now. 'Since my brother Kevin turned 18 and was able to start betting on the races, it's been a tradition to go the track on Pace Night,' said Dean. 'My birthday is July 13 and my dad's birthday is July 12, so it's a birthday tradition to go to The Meadowlands whenever the Meadowlands Pace is.'The night of the 2021 Pace, a name in the program caught the May family's eye: Charlie May, who was in that night's featured event.'We bet on him in 2021,' said Amy. 'What's crazy is, we looked at the program and said we love that name, and so we got a picture [of the program] in the event we ever had a daughter. We have always loved the name Charlie for a girl and it was so cool to see the name with our last name. We bet on that race and lost [after Charlie May was disqualified]. That was a pivotal moment in our story. To see that he had actually been the winner [and then lost], it was a crazy sign to just show how intertwined we are with him. We didn't find out until recently that he was later declared the winner.' Fast forward to March of 2023, and the young engaged couple are getting close to their wedding day when they got some terrible news.'A month before we got married, I was told I couldn't ever have children,' said Amy. 'I'm somebody that doesn't take 'no' for an answer very easily. I was young and healthy and we did a bunch of genetic testing to see what was wrong and there was no rhyme or reason, so I just needed to try everything, get a few opinions. Our first doctor said I couldn't ever get pregnant, but I just kept being that squeaky wheel until somebody wanted to listen to me, and we found a doctor able to help us get pregnant, which was a miracle.''After we got married, we were at my parents' house and coordinated our honeymoon around Charlie May's race [the 2023 William Haughton Memorial] on Pace Night,' said Dean. 'We left for our honeymoon the day after.''When the race started, it was like a moment of defeat, it didn't look good. We hadn't really started the process of fertility yet with the new doctor, so it was just kind of like a bad case of icing on the cake. Oh, we lose again.' But, then, driver Dave Miller skillfully guided Charlie May to a ground-saving trip and rallied to grab the win in 1:47.1 at odds of 30-1.'When Charlie May came around and won, the feeling is something I will never forget,' said Amy. 'It was a great moment. We didn't tell anybody the love we had for the name Charlie and how we felt connected to the horse, but Dean's family was there, and they all decided to bet on it, too. It was truly an experience I will never forget. We were all jumping up and down. It was everything that we needed to go on our honeymoon. It truly felt like it was a sign from God. A sign from up above.'It was like, it's OK, keep pushing, yes, you've been in last place, and, yes, you've been put down. But you are meant to be parents, your baby is meant to be out there. It's all going to work out.' About six months after getting married, the Mays were pregnant. Then, on June 19, 2024, Charlie May, the little girl, was born. 'Charlie' is the name on her birth certificate. It's the way it had to be for Amy and May's road from disqualified in the Meadowlands Pace to being named the actual winner sometime later after getting the DQ overturned was the first part of this perfect parlay. His win in the Haughton as a long shot when it appeared early-on he had no chance made things complete. The horse Charlie May served as inspiration to the parents of little girl Charlie May. The May family will be at the mile oval on the night of July 12, when the $700,000 (est.) Meadowlands Pace tops a star-studded card. It's unclear if their favorite horse will be racing that night, but are optimistic their little girl and the horse she's named for will at some point come face-to-face.'We've been in touch with [Charlie May's] owner, Don Tiger,' said Dean. 'And, he promised us, one way or the other, that the picture of the two Charlie Mays will happen.' 'It will complete the whole story,' said Amy. 'After talking with Don, it truly showed there is a reason why we are connected to this horse. There are just so many similarities with both of our stories, and I want our Charlie to know how special she is, too, and I want a picture of her with the horse that she can see when she grows up. Don and his wife had some of the same issues Dean and I had as well.'The Pace is something special to our family. The Meadowlands, it's truly a place where people can get together and have a good time. We have a ton of friends and family who come out for the Pace. We have a good time. It's special to be together. It means a lot.' This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Jun 27, 2025, where it first appeared.
