Tonight’s Great Cheese Race has been cancelled due to the weather.
A spokesperson for Caerphilly County Borough said the race was to be abandoned in the interest of the safety of the competitors.
The rest of the Big Cheese Festival, which runs until Sunday, will continue as planned.
This included the firework display this evening, July 24, which begins at 10pm.
Unfortunate the main event with tacky products in overpriced craft stalls, fairground rides with prices greater than a low cost flight to Berlin, and noise in excess of the levels heard at Glastonbury will still be going ahead.
It is time the council ended this repetitive event in favour of a fresher, triennial event.
Hark, big tip of the day! YOUR local Caerphilly councillors receive 50, half price tickets for the rides at the Big Cheese on Friday Night.
I think the tickets should go to deserving causes whether that be charities or people who may not be able to afford to take their children there. However, the councillors get this privilege. I hope you all feel happy knowing your tax money helps subsidise the Friday night entertainment of the councillors.
Why not ask them for tickets? I am sure your public servants will be more than happy to help you out.
Dean; I am sure you meant to say ” “our” public servants, they belong to you too.
Local Councillors, and others, enjoy patronage from this event throughout the week-end, in various areana and marquees all over the site, never mind worthy causes, poor families and deprived kids, most of whom will be looking at this event from afar.
This is a disgracful annual extravagance on the part of the Council, but what incentive is there for the movers and shakers who enjoy such patronage to do anything but enjoy it. Human Nature, I suppose.
I have never been given tickets for anything at all, my face doesn’t fit perhaps! If I did get tickets for the Cheesy rides on Cheesy Weekend you can be assured I would give them away with alacrity.
As this is not a Town Council event, but a borough one, maybe the borough councillors get them.
I live in Ludlow St, the Big Cheese means if I take the car anywhere, I can’t park when I return, and since Crescent Road is shut, any local journeys take longer, and I suffer from Noise Pollution for three days. But I know the Big Cheese gives many people a lot of pleasure and enjoyment, so overall I think it’s a good thing. Can’t understand the people who criticise it, don’t they like people enjoying themselves?. But if they gave some free fairground tickets to the vtown centre residents, rather than the fatcat councillors,, it would be more equitable.
Not completely correct, I dont think anyone has the right to prevent anyone doing anything legal, or enjoying themselves in the process, unless of course those complaining pick up the bill for it, and, we, all the citizens of Caerphilly make a huge disproportionate financial contribution for this annual beanfeast.
The cost of this `festival` is disproportionate to any potencial benefit it may have originally brought to the town, there is no evidence whatsoever it brings in ANY income to the area, local traders steer clear of it, and local shops DO NOT benefit from it, The cost of Policing it is totally disproportionate too, The cost on the Council is huge, including additional stewards, cleaners, vehicles and damaged caused to the playing fields.
And, all the providers of the shows, sideshows, and attractions take the money, from the Micro Caerphilly economy and run, straight up the M4 and over the Bridge. Even the employees and companies who provide infrustructure for the event are not Welsh companies.
I can see little meaningful reason for this `show` once a year and absolutely no evidence that it benefits the town or the borough.
I am under no doubt it provides a boost in footfall around the town centre providing a boost to shops that rely on footfall e.g. bakeries, sandwich shops, and pubs, but the increased revenue for those shops over the two days is not enough to create new jobs, and the businesses who do benefit are usually big corporation who take the money out of Wales.
Correct, there might be a small increase in tax revenue for the council but there is a net loss when the costs of hosting the festival is taken into consideration. The festival itself is a waste of money!
Where does the increased TAX revenue to the Council come from Dean. How does that work????
Trefor Bond it seems pretty obvious you have nothing else better to do except totally moan about CCBC on a daily basis! Always poking your nose in and giving your penneth worth. Everyone has a right to air an opinion but you Sir are beyond a joke!!
You believe in free speech then? whoever you are.
What a STUPID, INANE, and irrelivent comment this is, this site welcomes contributions from all quarters, all political views, and from all `reasonable` people wanting to express a view, you appear NOT TO HAVE any except for some reason you have taken a `dislike` to Trefor Bond`s. `views?.
Unacceptable , and I dont always agree with all comments on this site but you dont shoot the messanger, unless of course you have something personal against Mr Bond, in which case identify yourself you silly woman?????
The Joke appears to be on you, but, who are you exactly?
Your comments are not worthy of identification, so I bet you will continue to hide like some slinking snake slithering and slipping between anger and rage.
Get a life for goodness sake. and continue to read all the comments on these pages and perhaps learn something about other peoples views or are you a communist?
I for one do not want to read your personal, cretinous attacks on people who comment, restrict your anger to the topic, but like others who have defended the principal of free speech and the right to expressit, who are you? what do you represent, and keep it honest.
This comment does not make sense, please elucidate for everyone to join in
The food vendors pay money to the council. Granted it is not classified as a tax but it must be paid before operating.
That does help, of course. But It does not make a dent in the overall cost though. again, I would say that if this festival was Cost Neutral on the public purse, i.e. handed over to professional event organisers, it would take the sting out of the disastrous economics of the thing.
Personally, I don’t go to the Big Cheese, and don’t spend any money there. But people do go and enjoy it. Why can’t the Council find local companies who could provide the necessary infrastructure, and its sad reflection on local companies who can’t provide equivalent goods and services. To repeat myself, the Big Cheese does provide a lot of people with enjoyment and pleasure, and its good to see families enjoying themselves.
Why does the Big Cheese attract so many miserable detractor’s.
Because, nah, why bother, you already know the answer to that question. John. But, just to be miserable about it, I point to extravegant waste of money from the public purse, the totally, but necessary, disproportionate cost of police manpower, the almost total lack of engagement with local contractors for the infrestructure of the festival, the fact that almost all the on site facilities are provided by English contractors and business, and, finally, for now, the effect it has on the micro economy of Caerphilly, taking money from that fragile economy and winging it over to English counties. I can see no benefit to Caerphilly whatsoever.
But also for the record, if the entire festival was ratepayer cost neutral, I would`nt even comment on exsesive drinking, excessive littering in and around the town, over the top excessive street and festival policing, road closures and disruptions, etc, Live and let Live I say,
But dont promote the idea this event is any benefit whatsoever to the town or the borough, unless of course you can up with more than, all those attendees, are “enjoying themselves”, that`s fine, so long as it is cost neutral on the public purse, currently Caerphilly Ratepayers are paying for the privilage of people taking money from our micro economy NOT contributing towards it.
So if the Big Cheese is organised by CCBC, why don’t they use local contractors?.
The succes of this event relies on all residents opinions being taken into account, Lindsay Whittle led the project originally, and brought it to the town.
It now rests with the Labour administration to listen to residents concerns and ensure everyone is happy that concerns are considered, lessons learnt, and complaints kept to a real minimum by consultation and compremise.