Cotswolds event industry determined to get back out there
On September 17th, in the glow of sunset in a rural hayfield near Cirencester, a team of Cotswold event specialists is coming together for a photoshoot to showcase work by some of those in Gloucestershire affected by the COVID19-related shut down of the live events industry.
Dani Freemantle, who owns and runs established events company Oasis Events, is leading the fightback in Gloucestershire. Leading a team of event professionals to produce a “Harvest Supper” party setting celebrating their creativity and collaborative spirit, artfully and safely designed to show how they will be supporting celebrations, when guidelines allow.
After many long months of supporting clients with the stresses of cancellations, postponements and amendments our Harvest Supper photoshoot seeks to raise local awareness of the issues in support of our network, and to end the summer on a high. Working together in the way we are accustomed to doing, we will lift each other up, promote each other’s creativity and expertise, and make something beautiful happen. We’re still here! A highly motivated bunch using our down time to create with one another, on standby, until we can legally make memories for our clients once again.
Under the currentCOVID-19 guidelines, most of the events industry is reluctantly ‘on standby’, awaiting permission to return to work.
According to the Business Visits & Events Partnership, the UK's events industry was worth £70 billion. Covid-19 has decimated that.
The live events industry supports vulnerable rural economies throughout the UK, and employs millions across all demographics who are currently banned from returning to gainful employment for an indefinite period of time. As one of the first industries to cease activity in the face of the pandemic, businesses and individuals find themselves excluded both from government initiatives (such as the Chancellor’s Arts Bailout) and from lesser support measures, leaving company directors, sole traders and freelancers in the lurch. With social distancing restrictions tightening once again in September 2020 they are unable to go to work.
Dany Freemantle, who owns and runs established events company Oasis Events, said: "No-one wants to operate a business which risks the health of clients, suppliers, or our communities. However as resourceful professionals we consider ourselves more than able to adapt to and implement COVID secure ways of working. Our sites and venues very often benefit from lots more fresh air and space than pubs and restaurants and we see a lack of parity with these locations - where complete strangers can mingle. One has to ask “why can no more than 30 people (who know and love each other, have an intrinsic desire to protect each other, and are so easy to track and trace), gather to celebrate a wedding - in the care of event professionals accustomed to managing all the risk factors that the wider hospitality sector addresses”?
For those specialising in weddings and events - in a highly seasonal industry, the future currently looks bleak.
Dany added: "Our supplier network consists almost entirely of rural, often female-led entrepreneurial businesses employing local people, many of them young. Gloucestershire is one of nine counties identified as being at the highest commercial risk due to the impact of COVID-19 in the UK due to its reliance on hospitality, leisure and events for employment, and lack of accessible alternative opportunities.
On 30th September Oasis will be supporting the #lightitinred campaign again. Watch out for Gloucestershire's vibrant events sector making a lot of noise around the county for the wider events industry to STAND AS ONE under the #wemakeevents banner https://wemakeevents.org/
Oasis Events' little black book of brilliant event suppliers for the Harvest Supper includes:
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Planning & Styling |
Oasis Events www.oasisevents.co.uk/ |
@oasiseventsltd |
|
Tent & Lighting |
LPM Bohemia www.lpmbohemia.com/ |
@lpmbohemia |
|
Food |
Hassle Free Weekends www.hasslefreeweekends.co.uk/ |
@hasslefreeweekends |
|
Cake |
Vanilla Pod Bakery vanillapodbakery.com/ |
@vanillapodbakery |
|
Floristry |
Millie Richardson www.millierichardsonflowers.com/ |
@mill.rich.flowers |
|
Bar & Venue |
The Travelling Pub www.thetravellingpubcompany.com |
@thetravelling_pubco |
|
Dining furniture |
Folly Hire www.follyhire.com/ |
@follyhire |
|
Fire and Heating |
Paul Haresign |
@paulharesign |
|
Power and Distribution |
Woodlands Generators www.woodlands-generators.com |
@woodlandsgenerators |
|
Tableware |
Richardson Event Hire www.richardsoneventhire.co.uk |
@richardsoneventhire |
|
Specialist Tableware |
Table to Dine For https://tabletodinefor.com |
@tabletodinefor |
|
Chill out furniture & styling |
Virginia’s Vintage hire https://virginiasvintagehire |
@virginiasvintagehire |
|
Props |
Tarren Furniture hire www.hireeventfurniture.co.uk |
@eventfurniturebytarren |
|
Photography |
Mark Nicholson www.marknicholson.com |
@marknicholson.photographer |
|
Videography |
Evenlode Productions https://www.evenlodeproductions.com/ |
@evenlode_films_productions |
|
Dining wine |
Haynes Hanson & Clark https://www.hhandc.co.uk/ |
@hhandcwine |
|
Onsite coordinator |
Jules Mackness |
|
|
Calligraphy |
Emerald Paper Designhttp://www.emeraldpaperdesign.com/ |
@emeraldpaperdesign |
|
Chill out beers |
Cotswold Brew Co www.cotswoldbrew.co/ |
@ cotswoldbrewing |
