The Barney Meet will be back again in 2026 following a very successful weekend this year.
And, if all goes to plan, next year’s event will be even bigger and better.
Now the dust has settled on the 140th Meet, committee members have had time to reflect on an eventful Whitsuntide bank holiday weekend.
Martyn Maughan, chairman of the volunteer group that organises the Meet, says feedback has been overwhelmingly positive so far.
He also revealed that the organisers are looking into ways of attracting external funding to help cover the cost of staging the annual event. The Meet is a not-for-profit organisation, so any surplus cash goes towards future events.
“Overall it was a great success and we are still looking pretty good for next year,” Martyn told the Mercury.
“We’ve had some really good comments about the parade,” he added. “People were saying it was good, it was a decent length and there was plenty of variety.
“The primary schools were a massive part of it this year and, after all, the Meet is all about the kids!”
The smooth running of the Meet weekend is down to the organisers and many volunteers give up their time to help out.
“We had about 90 volunteers,” confirmed Martyn. “The weekend itself works because we get lots of volunteers helping with a variety of things, they give up hours, they give up days and it’s fantastic really.
“Overall it was great success and we’ll be back next year for a hopefully bigger and better Meet.”
Events took place on the lower Demesnes on all three days of the weekend and crowds were healthy, despite changeable weather.
What clearly paid off was the committee’s decision to fund free attractions for the kids on the lower Demesnes on Sunday and Monday such as Andrew The Magician and Swankie Sports.
They proved very popular and meant parents could use the bar and watch the live bands throughout both afternoons.
Of course, the weather is a huge factor for events like the Meet and a weekend wash-out could prove fatal to its future.
Fortunately, thanks to the eight committee members, every contingency possible is being explored to safeguard the Meet’s future.
One avenue they are keen to explore is external funding through grants and there is space on the committee for someone with knowledge in that specific area.
“For next year we need to look at grants,” explained Martyn. “Sometimes we underestimate the history of the Meet.
“All of the things it features – the procession, the live music and the arts and crafts that the kids do – all of that stuff and the history behind us would add up to us being able to get funding from somewhere.
“If we could it would make the weekend easier because the whole event costs a lot of money. The bar does make us money and other things like pitch fees, donations and sponsors help. But if we had a washout we would struggle to come back the following year.
“The person we’re after is someone with the expertise or knowledge of how you apply for grants for community events.”
Anyone interested in joining the committee should email [email protected]
