Welliestock is going ahead this weekend after months of uncertainty about a venue and the granting of a council licence. The mini-festival will happen on the Beech Grove Pitch at Wellington Rugby Club following a council hearing on yesterday.
“It’s been months of absolute hell,” said organiser Huw Weston. “But now I couldn’t be more delighted that the event is going ahead.” Originally the event was scheduled to use the playing field at Court Fields school but police raised concerns about security issues and Mr Weston was forced to look for another venue.
Wellington Rugby club were happy to host Welliestock on its second team pitch but Anna Gorman, landlord of the nearby Dolphin Inn was worried that an influx of several thousand festival-goers could overwhelm the pub.
In a written statement published before the Taunton Deane licensing sub-committee meeting, Ms Gorman, said: “My public house is in very close proximity to the proposed event site. If the event is not managed properly then problems will arise from antisocial behaviour.
“If there are insufficient toilet facilities and those for refreshment, then attendees will seek alternatives – the toilets in Wellington Park and my pub being the closest available.
“I do not have the staffing capabilities to deal with large numbers of people arriving unexpectedly, or to deal with any potentially violent situations should they arise.”
Ms Gorman suggested that the event be postponed until next year and should be held in an out-of-town venue “such as that used for the Buddhafield Festival”, which is held in mid-July.
Huw Weston posted this update on the Welliestock Facebook page: “We were advised at our safety advisory meeting this year to introduce a ‘no-pass out system’ to reduce local disruption moving to and from the site plus the possibility of people leaving the site, going home, having an alcoholic drink and returning several hours later.
“We genuinely hope this doesn’t cause too many problems. We’ve had to work incredibly hard for Welliestock to go ahead and had to make several adjustments to our licensing conditions.
“I know that most families come down for a set amount of time with some leaving earlier than others so we do hope that the above won’t be an inconvenience to yourselves.
“Thank you everyone for your understanding.”