A few of us have had a meeting with Alex & Ed Gingell of Copford Farm to go through a few bits. In no particular order:-
The same land is available as when we hosted the 2005 event, so the main layout of the site could be roughly the same. Additionally the Chicken sheds have been replaced by a couple of long barns and Alex has offered some of this undercover space which we could perhaps utilise for Scrutineering & Signing-on. The hard standing between the barns will again be available for lorry parking.
Inclement weather is concern for all and we have had an offer from a club member to help with any ground repairs that are required. Alex suggested it may be worth our having an event there early next year so we can get a feel for what the ground could be like for the National, and this is something we are looking into.
We again need to carry out a charm offensive with the local residents so everyone knows what is going on, and to try and get them to cooperate with the one-way system we would put in place for event traffic in Dern Lane. Since the 2005 event, a campsite has opened opposite Copford Farm which has resulted in an increase in traffic in the area, so this will need further consideration.
The event will take place when the timber stocks in the wood yard are depleted after winter, but Alex will minimise / relocate his sawmill stock to ensure the access roads are clear. Alex will also reinstate the rear exit road that we used last time.
We will shortly be organising a small working party to make some of the competition ground more challenging.
A draft of the land agreement based on the 2005 document was discussed and agreed in principle; a few minor adjustments will be made before this is signed by both parties.
Waste management will be a significant cost increase on last time, and although we will have a 40ft Ro-Ro bin available, emptying it into landfill won’t be cheap. We therefore need to recycle as much as possible – even down to the bins used around the site being metal instead of plastic so we can recycle them afterwards.
We then had a wander round and threw around a few ideas to see if there was any way we could improve on the layout and what goes where. Lots to do – exciting times ahead…
Then some of us went off for a Bacon butty and a cup of tea – lovely jubbly!
Dave.