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Windermere 2011 |
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The unique venue remanded the same but for this year’s show the organising was taken over by Bluestone Events and renamed The Windermere Air Festival. Over the previous ten years the planning had been undertaken by the local Rotary Club who with limited resources mad a valiant effort at staging this event. The Rotary Club had used the Glebe at Bowness for the annual gala weekend for sometime prior to the introduction of a flying program. Entrance to the event at this time was free and gave rise to the introduction of a limited flying programme, with the introduction of the Red Arrows being sent to perform as a gesture of good will to the area for accepting the low flying which takes place within the area. Also because the Rotary Club didn’t charge any admission there wasn’t any charge to the organisers for the Red Arrows display. This relationship blossomed over the next few years and the Rotary Club enlisted onto the committee the RAF’s CRO for Cumbria who would help to attract a variety of aircraft and helicopters of the air force to appear at the show and help boost the funds of the Rotary Club the RAF even supplied Air Traffic Controllers.
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| During the 2010 event Bluestone Events became involved and their involvement saw the introduction of a few new items to the 2010 flying programme. Unfortunately the weather this weekend put pay to any chance of flying on the Saturday |  |
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2011 saw the demise of the Rotary Clubs involvement with organising the event and Bluestone Events stepped up to organised the whole show with a percentage of the proceedings going to the local charities. In doing so the flying programme grew but the Glebe was only accessible with an entrance fee. The idea for the flying programme would be for the flying exhibits to rotate between the Southport Air Show and Windermere, most aircraft were operating from Blackpool. |
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The venue although spectacular, isn’t one where everyone can see the flying proceedings especially at the Glebe where the organisers were charging. This is due to the tree line along the lake. In an effort to counter this they increased flying level to 500ft along the display line.
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The weather stayed fine throughout the weekend and all the flying took place but for one incident when the Air Ambulance helicopter held up proceedings whilst it looked for a landing site to attend an accident.
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Sadly it was announced by Bluestone Events shortly after the 2011 show that that due to the current economic climate the 2012 Windermere Air Festival will not go ahead. Local opinion is that the show should have remained as it was prior to Bluestone Events involvement and not to attempt to turn it into a full blown air show which attempted to cash in on a captive group on the Glebe. In its inception the show promoted the whole Windermere area. Time will indeed see if an economic change will bring a return to the event to what it was at its conception. |
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