Penrith’s Winter Droving – due to take place today – has been cancelled.
Organisers Eden Arts said they were forced to make the 11th hour decision due to safety concerns.
Winds are forecasted that exceed the limit for temporary structures.
They said: “As the Winter Droving is made up of an event with many temporary structures – band stages, market stalls, and the animal lanterns that make up the procession – the risk to the public, performers and staff is beyond both the statutory levels and our own responsible approach to event management.
“The thought of someone being hurt at what is such joyful event is not something we would ever contemplate.”
Eden Arts said it had been monitoring forecasts all week with professional health and safety advisers that we contract we have been monitoring forecasts all week.
They added: “We installed our own wind measurement equipment to compare the forecast with actual readings. Unfortunately the forecasts in the last two days have proved to be accurate.
“We realise that this is a late decision. For much of the week we have seen a forecast that we would be in a window of calm weather.
“However in the last day or so those have shifted to forecasted gusts of up to 35mph predicted for October 25 and we are placed in the position that to ignore the forecast and the evidence of their accuracy would be reckless, especially if the worst were to happen and someone were to be hurt on the day.
“We have looked at the possibility of cancelling the activities during the day and retaining the procession, however the same risk applies.
“Lanterns and hundreds of people with naked flame torches present too great a risk should gusts be as predicted.
“We have worked so hard to prepare the event, with literally hundreds of performers, crew, makers, traders, sponsors, the council teams, funders all working together for months to bring one of the outstanding events in the region to fruition once again.
“We know that our supportive public will, like us all, be so disappointed.
“Making this decision has been extremely difficult but after weighing all considerations we must prioritise safety above all else. Thank you for your understanding.”
Event director Adrian Lochhead said: “I can’t say how disappointed I am, how disappointed the whole team is.
“Our emergency meetings today have been awful. We have had bad weather in terms of rain before, and we have manged to press on through that. We had covid to contend with and we managed to make an event work.
“The thing that we are faced with this week is high winds forecasted, not even high on an average which is what many weather forecasts show, it is high gusts that are way over our limit, and gusts are simply unpredictable.
“That puts me in an awful position as the person ultimately responsible – ignore that and press on, or make the decision that guarantees safety?
“The thing is that wind gusts have picked up structures at events before and people have been seriously hurt and worse. Ultimately that’s the only basis that I can make a decision on.”
