Wet weather planning a success for show

Implementation of a wet weather plan to mitigate the effects of several weeks of rainfall resulted in a successful show for the annual South East Bus Festival at Kent Showground near Maidstone.

Last year, a similar unusual amount of rain resulted in the cancellation of the event. The rain had left the showground too soft to support the weight of the full-sized buses that attend the event which is part of Kent County Agricultural Society’s Heritage Transport Show.

In a change from previous years, where buses have parked on the extensive grassed areas, the new plan saw them utilising a number of areas of hardstanding around the showground that are normally used for the display of cars, commercials, military and other vehicles, those in turn relocating to the grass areas.

“After the disappointment of last year’s cancellation, we worked with our friends at Kent County Agricultural Society to relocate some of the Heritage Transport Show exhibits” – Co-organiser, Richard Lewis

Co-organiser, Richard Lewis, said: “After the disappointment of last year’s cancellation, we worked with our friends at Kent County Agricultural Society to relocate some of the Heritage Transport Show exhibits to free up space on firm surfaces so that buses could park without fear of sinking into the soft grass areas which would have caused them difficulty when the time came to leave the event.

“Although we had been concerned that the usual number of buses might have been too many to be accommodated on the available areas of hardstanding, we actually found that there was plenty of space for many more and we know that, should we need to implement the plan in future years, we need not worry about restricting the number of entries.

“Our main concern was the need to avoid parking on the roadways used by the frequent bus service around the showground as that would have meant that the service, which is an important and very popular part of the event, would not have been able to operate. Consequently, we had to restrict entries that were being submitted in the few days before the event was to take place as a precautionary measure to avoid over-crowding.

“As with all new plans, experience will show that some aspects need modification and, while we can be confident that the basic plan works, we now know that we will be able to accommodate a larger number of entries in future and with them spaced further apart from each other than was the case this year.

“A lot of positive feedback has been received on our Facebook page and clearly those leaving comments appreciated the fact that we had taken steps to avoid cancelling the event and to allow them to have an enjoyable day.”

Next year’s South East Bus Festival will take place on Saturday 5 April 2025 and details will be shown on the event website and on the Facebook page as arrangements take shape later this year.