Event Industry News

Show is over for Civic festival organiser

COMMUNITY figures have voiced outrage at the departure of entertainments adviser Ben Simon from Elstree and Borehamwood Town Council.

Mr Simon organised this year’s Civic Festival during his temporary five-month contract as acting arts and entertainments adviser from March to July this year.

However, he said the town council never paid him for three extra days’ work and there was a “breakdown in communication” regarding his future.

Mr Simon said he was offered a two-month extension on his first contract and a further six months after that, but was told to leave on August 6 without any prior warning.

The Rev Tim Warr, of All Saints Church, in Shenley Road, Borehamwood, said: “We are missing Ben immensely and his sudden departure as our entertainments officer leaves a number of us asking what on earth is going on?”

Mr Simon said: “I am saddened I cannot continue my work having pulled off a successful festival and started work on the fireworks and various winter events.

“I had been asked by the councillors to stay on, but there seems to have been a breakdown in communication as instead of the proposed extended eight-month contract that had been offered and I had already started, I was given half an hour to collect my belongings.

“I have still not received any explanation for this and have not been approached about the new position.

“I thoroughly enjoyed organising the festival and coach trips and would like to thank everyone who has continued to support me.”

The job, advertised last week in the Borehamwood & Elstree Times, has been renamed events co-ordinator.

However, neither the town council clerk Joel Charin, nor any of the ruling Conservative councillors were willing to comment on the decision.

Mr Simon replaced Paul Welsh as entertainments officer in March after Mr Welsh took early retirement after 32 years.

Richard Jarvis, Neighbourhood Watch ward co-ordinator for Herts-mere, said: “Ben took on a job from his predecessor Paul Welsh that was very hard to follow.

“I worked alongside Ben for several weeks as head steward through the Civic Festival and I thought he did a tremendous job given the strain that he must have been under.

“Ben was praised for his work by the councillors at a meeting and was told he would be given a two-month extension followed by a six-month contract in the job he was doing.”

Mr Warr added: “It is hard to reconcile the good work Ben achieved in the short space of time that he had in the role, with the suddenness of his termination.

“Following on from Paul must have been a hard act to follow and I heard nothing but admiration from people for Ben, and how well he managed this summer’s town festival.

“Speaking personally, his departure leaves me with a gaping hole, as we had begun to shape ideas for town-wide celebrations next year to coincide with the 100th birthday of All Saints Church.

“That’s now not likely to happen and I am left with disappointed people, not least a 125-person youth band and choir coming from America with no venue or entertainments officer to help plan what could have been a top-quality event.”

Random Posts