- Damning report calling for a ‘radical overhaul’ of the Jersey Battle of Flowers
- The £5,000 report was commissioned by the Economic Development Department
- It suggests making dramatic changes such as re-routing the parade through the centre of St Helier
- Ray Quin criticised as choice of Mr Battle for 2014.
- Comment – read what the JEP thinks.
A RADICAL overhaul of Jersey’s Battle of Flowers is urgently needed to save the ‘dwindling’ festival, a damning independent report commissioned by the Economic Development Department has said.
The document, which cost more than £5,000 to produce, says that dramatic changes such as re-routing the parade through the centre of St Helier and moving it to earlier in the summer must be considered.
Criticisms listed in the report include:
- The appointment of former X Factor contestant Ray Quinn as last years Mr Battle, which it said added little value to the parade .
- Exhibitors having a reputation for being incredibly demanding and resistant to change.
- No family ticket option, so a couple with a child aged 12 or over could pay up to £68 to see the two-hour show.
- There is a poor relationship between the exhibitors and the festivals organisers, and specifically with Battle of Flowers Association chairman Tony Perkins.
The report, which was written by events expert Sarah Felton, advises the States to give serious consideration to the cost benefits of their £130,000 annual subsidy to Battle.
Economic Development Minister Lyndon Farnham, former chairman of the Battle of Flowers Association, told the JEP that he wanted to assure people that funding for the event would not be cut.
While assembling the report, Mrs Felton spoke to numerous Islanders associated with the parade, including Constables, one of which – who remained anonymous – described the event as ‘dwindling’.
The report said that for the Battle to be successful in the future it needed to move away from its tourism categorisation and focus on being a community-based event, as it no longer attracted tourists in the way it used to.
Some of the suggestions to modernise the Battle included re-routing it through St Helier, holding it earlier in the summer and staging a ticketed static display in the People’s Park.
It is also suggested that the the judging process should be more transparent and all 12 parishes should be involved on the day.
In recent years not all parishes have taken part in the event.
Mrs Felton warned that saving the Battle was ‘much more deep-rooted than simply applying a few tweaks to modernise and commercialise the current parade’.
The current chairman of the Battle of Flowers Association, Mr Perkins, said he had not yet had time to fully digest the details of the report but confirmed he was in the process of organising a special board meeting next week.
‘What they need to realise is that a lot of the suggestions will take some serious work,’ he said.
‘And do they realise the disruption it would cause in town?
‘I am not against changes but it will take some serious work.’
Senator Farnham said: ‘I think it is time to get together and see how we can improve Battle.
‘The exhibits at Battle are world class and I want to see it become a world event and be spoken about in the world’s media again.’
IT has been said many times before but today sees another serious call for Jersey’s premier tourist event to modernise.
Tales of communication breakdowns, resistance to repeated requests for change and problems in securing true value for money will bring a sense of déjà vu for many who have been involved with the parade over the years.
The Economic Development department’s commissioned report has given Islanders a valuable insight into the Battle of Flowers and once again highlighted the need for change.
Indeed, it would be inconsistent for the department to overhaul the old Jersey Tourism department to create Visit Jersey – a move which will modernise the Island’s approach to attracting much-needed tourists – and leave its jewel in the crown stuck in the past.
What will happen next is anybody’s guess, and if form is anything to go by the chances are that very little will alter, but what must be remembered is that any infighting and negotiating over the report does not deter the thousands of volunteers, who spend many hours a week working towards the event throughout the year.
Their input is invaluable and key, and without their dedication, the show would not have been anything near what it is today.
A price cannot be put on that community aspect and everything possible should be done to make sure it remains at the very heart of the summer celebration.
It has been suggested that one of the main problems appears to be the float builders’ resistance to change.
That refusal to modernise may be an attempt to retain their share of the financial aid on offer to build their magnificent exhibits, but at what long-term cost to the parade?
And, in what seems an obvious move to many, a simple day change and more affordable tickets could see a huge increase in locals being able to attend the event with their families.
Finally, it must also be said that Economic Development Minister Lyndon Farnham was absolutely right to investigate what value for money the Island was getting out of the Battle and similar exercises should be conducted across the board.
However, this is only the beginning of the job and he must now use its findings constructively and demand changes – if that is indeed what he thinks is best – as a condition of handing over thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money in the future.
Have a representation from all 12 parishes:
‘During my interview with John Henwood (Chairman of the Tourism Shadow Board), he suggested in order for the event to be a true Jersey Battle of Flowers, all 12 parishes must be represented.
‘This may mean that the allocation of the guarantees or funding would need to be apportioned differently, perhaps given directly to the parish Constables.’
Simplify the judging process:
‘The consensus from the current exhibitors is that they aren’t in it ‘for the silverware’ and the current judging process is overly complicated and not as transparent as it should be.
‘It also has the overwhelmingly detrimental effect of removing the ‘fun’ from the event.’
Open the closed doors:
‘Over a number of years,these barriers have begun to be broken down with pre-battle shed tours being organised in the days leading up to the event.
‘Tours could perhaps be organised by the Association to provide added value to both spectators and corporate sponsors.’
Static Display – the People’s Park:
‘Therefore the recommendation is; floats are relocated to People’s Park, making this both the start of the parade and also the home of a fully accessible static display.’
Sustainability –local produce:
‘Jersey was once a major floral exporting island, but nowadays almost all the flowers for battle are imported from as far away as South America, via Holland.
‘John Henwood, Chairman of the Tourism Shadow Board, suggested working with Jersey farmers to fill the fallow time following the potato harvest and fill the fields with asters, marigolds or, taking inspiration from the Netherlands, dahlias.’
Providing value -not just two days
The suggestion is to use social media, the Battle website, E-newsletters and blogs to extend the length of the event.
Re-routing the parade:
‘The possibility of re-routing the parade was suggested by a number of stakeholders during the interview process;perhaps considering the route used in the Fête dé Noué Christmas parade by entering in to the town centre.’
Miss Battle:
‘The charitable element of this role is no longer as active.’
Mr Battle:
Ray Quinn was the wrong choice and focused should perhaps instead be placed on local celebtrities.
However, ‘That being said, it seems there is perhaps a missed opportunity when securing a celebrity like Ray Quinn; he does have a following within the island and in fact returned to perform a concert for those fans later in the year. Why this concert was not scheduled to take place pre-event is unclear.’
