England Ngo Not Attending Cla

[Skull Hooker 185]

Just been reading the Summer 'Keeping the balance', the magazine of the National Gamekeeper's Organisation, which carries a letter from the vice chairman on p141.

They are not attending the CLA Game Fair this year because in addition to the £20,000 it normally costs the to run a stand there for the three days, the CLA organisers have asked them for a further £5000 for the stand space!! FFS!!

 

I never go to the CLA any more. Their tickets are so expensive, and basically you are paying £30 to be allowed to shop. That's big of them. Because of the prices levied on the stall holders, the prices of even the basics were astronomical. Never again. It was £7 for a burger and there were 5 of us. £35 for food and another £20 for soft drinks.

They are supposed to be a showcase of country sports, not an opportunity for racketeering entrepreneurs to have your pants down.

 

Good luck to the NGO. Don't know why they don't have their own. They're actually strong enough to organise their own game fair without having to rely on the 'Fatcats' in the CLA.

 

What are your views?

[skycat 6,172]

Couldn't agree more. I haven't been for years, but even then, around 15 years ago, the prices were stupid, not to mention all the stands that had nothing to do with country sports. Once again the organisers are creating a 'them and us' divide between those with silly amounts of money and ordinary working folk. How can country sports people ever stand shoulder to shoulder when those divides push us further and further apart?

[trenchfoot 4,243]

Its not just the CLA, all the large fairs are having the stand/stall owners bend over and take one.

 

The reasoning behind charging more this year is that the northern game fairs dont have to footfall of the southern ones. And we dont spend as much when we are there. SO charging extra will do everything to encourage us northern tight wads to dig deep in our pockets with our short little arms.

[Hydropotesinermis 724]

Totally agree with the NGO on this.

 

There are much better things they can be doing with that money than a weekend in a tent at a big house trying to recruit members.

Edited June 1, 2015 by Hydropotesinermis

[Leeview 787]

Just been reading the Summer 'Keeping the balance', the magazine of the National Gamekeeper's Organisation, which carries a letter from the vice chairman on p141.

They are not attending the CLA Game Fair this year because in addition to the £20,000 it normally costs the to run a stand there for the three days, the CLA organisers have asked them for a further £5000 for the stand space!! FFS!!

 

I never go to the CLA any more. Their tickets are so expensive, and basically you are paying £30 to be allowed to shop. That's big of them. Because of the prices levied on the stall holders, the prices of even the basics were astronomical. Never again. It was £7 for a burger and there were 5 of us. £35 for food and another £20 for soft drinks.

They are supposed to be a showcase of country sports, not an opportunity for racketeering entrepreneurs to have your pants down.

 

Good luck to the NGO. Don't know why they don't have their own. They're actually strong enough to organise their own game fair without having to rely on the 'Fatcats' in the CLA.

 

What are your views?

Are the Country Landowners Association actually a sporting group?

as for the catering prices, they are expensive due to the costs involved per stand/bar and at the end of the weekend they have to pay 10% of their takings to the organisers hence the hiked up prices to cover their costs. I suppose if nobody ate or drank while they were at the show they might have to rethink the pricing structure

Y.I.S Leeview

[greenshank1 406]

It is expensive but so is everything today , especially at big events , and event catering is always a rip off doesn't matter if it's at football , rugby or music festival.

 

We take the kids and camp and BBQ all weekend and they love it. They can get anything from a fly fishing lesson , air gun lesson meet various hound packs , see all the different working dogs and ferrets , watch butchery and cooking demos and see a massive variety of countrysports up close. Everyone is really friendly and take time to speak to the kids and get them involved.

 

We have been twice before and are going back again this year it's great to catch up with mates and speak to like minded folk.

 

You don't have to buy anything so it's as cheap or as expensive as you want to make it.

 

Up here the only alternative is Scone Game Fair which hasn't changed in the last 25 years.