I write to congratulate all those who were involved in helping the Surbiton Festival committee and I, the chairman, create the biggest and most succesful festival for the town in many a decade.
The streets and garden squares in and around the town centre have never seen so many people. It was truly a fantastic day.
The event takes a massive amount of planning and I would like to thank the officers and councillors of Kingston Council for their support and help in letting us take over the roads and gardens, for the police, fire service and St John Ambulance for their back-up for emergencies and for Transport for London for assisting with bus control on the day.
South West Trains very kindly let us use the station forecourt for the parking of the classic cars and the use of the car park for stallholders. A big thank you goes to the cab drivers who moved their taxi rank for us.
Apart from obviously thanking all the stall holders and entertainers and those that took part in the main parade – without whom the day would not happen – I would also like to add my thanks to a number of businesses in Surbiton who gave tremendous support.
I make no apologies for the long list these companies, and key individuals from them, ensure that the town gets a festival it deserves and should be applauded and supported so they are, in no particular order, Rotary Club of Surbiton, Traders Coffee, the Community Church, DDM Creative Digital Marketing, Holiday Inn Kingston, The Lamb, Radio Jackie, Class Comedy, Barnard Marcus, Sloane Winckless & Co, Pickled Pantry, DST Global Solutions, Your Move, the Surbiton Flyer, the Grove, YMCA in Surbiton, Waitrose Surbiton, Gordon Bennett! and Glenmore House.
In particular, I would like to thank the 1034 ATC Surbiton, whose air training corps marshals did an absolutely outstanding job for us, along with those from the Rotary Club. They all deserve medals, each and every one of them.
As a committee we tried a new layout and new concept for the festival and although it provided us with a host of challenges, it proved an undoubted success.
To the residents in central Surbiton, thank you for letting us take over your parking spaces, your streets and waking you up so early, we truly try to keep disruption to a minimum and appreciate your support for the event.
Plans are now beginning for an even bigger and better one in 2014 – Saturday September 27. Put it in your diary.
Bob Noble; Chairman, Surbiton Festival 2013
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