In reply to the anonymous letter that was printed in the Manx Independent (June 15) we felt a few things needed replying to.
Bushy’s TT Village is run by Key Bar Events in conjunction with Bushy’s Brewery and unlike some of our competitors Bushy’s has never received any public funding over the past 25 years and have always had to trade within commercial capabilities which has often resulted in having to seek sponsorship from outside partners.
People don’t believe it when they are told how much it costs to prepare the Villa Marina Gardens for the festival although that reality has been with us going back 20 years at the Bottleneck car park where it was cheaper to stage than nowadays at the Villa but the reality is it’s a far more expensive event to host now.
The brutal fact is that without the entrance fee it wouldn’t be a viable operation as bar sales alone couldn’t support the event.
As far as the people concerned feeling they didn’t get value for their entry fee it’s a pity they weren’t able to return to the village in the evening as their wristbands would have enabled them to come back multiple times on that day to enjoy the live music on offer or watch the racing shown on the big screen.
We’re not sure how the site could have been as untidy as described on the day in question as it’s always the aim to make sure that everywhere is cleaned and ready to accept visitors so we would very much like to engage with the letter writers to try and get some more information about their experience.
On the subject of the single-use plastic glasses we have had numerous discussions with the authorities over the years about how we could address this issue and we feel that the best way forward is for the powers that be to introduce a reusable plastic glass scheme as seen at festivals like LOrient in Brittany whereby one recognised plastic glass is compulsorily used over the whole festival which utilises a central washing area and delivers clean drinking vessels around the island and avoids the need for disposable plastic glasses.
Bushy’s has looked into using compostable glasses made of corn starch and other materials but the problem is that these are only effective if they are sent to landfill sites which no longer happens in the island and we have been discouraged from using these products as they don’t burn in the incinerator.
Bushy’s and Key Bar Events are always keen to improve the experience of the customers and will always listen to people’s feedback whether it’s good or bad.
Key Bar Events Ltd
Bushy’s Brewery
This letter was first published in the Isle of Man Examiner of June 27.
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