Battle in crisis
Monday 11th August 2008, 3:00PM BST.
FLOAT builders across the Island are in panic mode after 100,000 flowers worth nearly £7,000 arrived in the Island rotten this weekend.
With just three days to go until Jersey’s biggest tourism event, almost all Battle of Flowers teams are working to salvage what blooms they can and many are making drastic changes to their float designs after losing key colours. Last-minute arrangements to bring in flowers from the UK are being made, meaning that the pressure on float builders will be even higher than usual.
The 20,000 stems – which each have five flowers on them – were ordered from Holland up to a year ago and have arrived in the Island within the last few days. However, when exhibitors began putting them into water ready to stick onto floats they found that a large percentage of them were rotten.
Battle public relations chairman Steve Bouchard (pictured) said that all of the damaged flowers have now had to be disposed of and replacements are being sought.
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hope it rains it’s all rubbish.
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How many “thousands” of times do we have to hear the battle of flowers is in crisis.
This has been an ongoing headline since 1985!
Before you tell us “again” the battle of britain is in crisis yeah,yeah! ok!!!!!!!!
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Well said. I hope there really is a crisis one of these days.
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Bob its not rubbish its flowers… the rubbish comes after the show!
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The JEP of the 11 August said it all – “Seaside Festival RECORD numbers “, Battle of Flowers – “Battle in crisis”.
It would appear that Islanders and tourists have voted with their feet. Maybe it is time for the sad mock towers and flags to be banished from Victoria Avenue for ever.
To quote the bard, “Death is a necessary end”
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I passed through the seaside festival and all i saw was a lot of boozers and the obese getting obesser.
It “hardly” qualifys as a family venue and attracted a certain type of class of people.
A lot of macho shaved headed tatooed types
and that was just the women!!!
Having witnessed it first hand I would never take children to such a vulgar event.
Jersey is drowning.
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There’s a ferry in the morning. Isn’t that what jersey folk say?
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Yes Mark!
Im off to buy a mansion next week with a couple of acres. Got to be better than sitting around a load of chavs:}
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I would rather go to the battle of flowers any day over the drunken yobbish seaside festival. From what I saw of the people staggering up towards the tennis courts and the yobbish behaviour at the end of the festival of loud mouthed youths walking in the middle of the road and singing at the tops of their voices the language being shouted at cars who dared to try and drive past them give me a family day out to the battle any day at least it’s not full of yobs. And no before anyone says it I am not an OAP though there are quite a few around here that had to listen and clean up after the weekend’s festivities ie can thrown into gardens, food containers etc.
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I hope all the people who paid for tickets, didn’t mind all the others watching from behind the fence on La Route De St Aubin. Another error by the battle, Just make it a Free parade there would be a lot better atmosphere more would go.
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For all those of you that did not go to the battle be it the moonlight or the day parade you dont know what you missed it was one of the best battles I have gone to so thank you to every one who had a hand in making the day and night a great time both myself and my children really enjoyed it and cant wait for next years and even better if it was made a half day public holiday, as for those watching from behind the fence so what they did not have that much of a view but at least they saw something if not much.
Roll on next years battle and thanks oh and Mark from what I say there were far more people at the Battle then at the seaside event so yes it looks like they did vote with their feet IN FAVOUR OF THE BATTLE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ferry no needed as jsybean and proud of it.
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I live along pretty much opposite where the Evening Parade finished, and you may say that the seaside festival encouraged yobbish behaviour, but I was kept up till God knows when by exactly the same behaviour! People beeping their horns, drunk people walking past my window and shouting/singing. It has NOTHING to do with what festival it is, it’s just the young people of Jersey. don’t go blaming the Seaside festival, I personally really enjoyed it, and it’s nice to get people together in a place that doesn’t charge you to enter!!!
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