The Wessex Folk Festival in Weymouth was a pleasure to attend; well organised and an excellent selection of music on offer.

However I was shocked at people’s response to the white buckets that were being passed around for donations towards the cost of Weymouth putting on this festival.

Good bands cost money. Stages cost money to hire, lots of money. Rubbish removal at festivals costs money. I noted an ambulance there for two days and that would have had a hefty charge. Not to mention the hidden costs.

Yet, despite the whoops of delight and applause from a crowd in the Quay Stage area on Saturday morning when two well-known bands played one after the other, many of those near us seemed to develop an impaired sight when a white bucket was passed around by a festival steward. Three people I saw distinctly shook their heads indicating they had no wish to donate.

That was the morning. Early afternoon, again a steward came past us with a bucket and it looked doubtful there was money in it. The steward corrected me when I pointed that out: there was one coin in her bucket she told me yet I’d seen her walking past people who again simply ignored that white bucket. The reaction from the crowd was similar to that I’d seen earlier.

My friends and I donated again: how could we not and yes, a number of others did too and generously but still many heads and bodies turned away as if in denial that they should contribute anything at all to the entertainment they were so obviously enjoying. The impairment that struck many people continued throughout the Saturday afternoon.

Then, on Sunday afternoon, when I attended a couple of events, the same ‘white bucket blindness’ occurred among the crowd. This time I deliberately exchanged pleasantries with three people whom I noted had not donated and asked them if they were here on holiday. After all perhaps they might have thought Weymouth had put on this grand affair especially for them as holidaymakers. That sadly was not the case.

I imagine the sale of programmes did well; the stalls helped pay towards the costs of the festival but I don’t think the counting of monies from the buckets would have taken very long to do. I can only hope the overall income exceeded the expenditure. A lot of hard work by many; a lot of money spent to make this event a success and something Weymouth can be proud off. However the ‘white bucket blindness’ could be the death knell of this excellent festival.

Sheena Dearness 
Weymouth