Plans to put on a replacement event for Penrith’s cancelled Winter Droving have been dealt a major blow after Westmorland and Furness Council refused the use of roads and road closures along with the use of council-owned land for activities.
The decision has left those working to organise a replacement event at short notice, following last month’s announcement by Eden Arts that it was moving the Winter Droving to Carlisle, having to rethink what can realistically be delivered in the town on the date the Winter Droving was due to take place.
Penrith Business Improvement District (BID), which has been helping bring local businesses and community members together to find an alternative, said the council had refused the use of roads and its land “at this late stage”.
The BID had originally hoped that, while it would not be possible to recreate the Winter Droving itself with only around a month to organise something, a town-centre event could still bring people into Penrith and give local businesses a boost.
But without access to roads and council land, the options have been dramatically reduced.
The BID said it had received “several brilliant suggestions and offers of help” from businesses and artists and had been assessing how they could work within the limited time and budget available.
It has now identified four options that remain possible – use of the bandstand, a trail, activities taking place within individual businesses and an event at Mansion House.
Based on those options, the BID said it now wants to pursue an event at Mansion House featuring an array of bands and other entertainment, backed up by activities including entertainment at the bandstand and smaller events elsewhere.
An event plan is being drawn up to take back to the town team for support, while a GoFundMe appeal has already been launched to raise additional money.
The BID has been clear from the outset that any replacement event would not be able to match the scale of the Winter Droving, given the short time available and the need for permissions, road closures and extensive organisation.
Its original appeal said the aim was instead to bring people together, support local businesses and create a positive atmosphere in the town.
The loss of the Winter Droving has already left a significant gap in Penrith's events calendar, with the BID now trying to salvage something from the October 24 date.
The BID is also looking beyond this year, saying that following the delivery of whatever can be organised in 2026, an action group will be created to look at developing something “brilliant” for 2027.
The BID is asking anyone able to help with time, resources, entertainment or funding to get involved, with donations being sought to help make the plans possible. The BID has launched a crowdfunder that has currenltyl raised £1,535. You can donate via https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/penrith-events
It says any money raised that cannot reasonably be spent this year will be ringfenced for future community events in Penrith, including potentially supporting Sparkle, developing future town-centre events and helping build a programme for 2027 and beyond.
For this year, organisers are now working with what they have left. The focus is on putting together something around Mansion House, the bandstand, a trail and activities within local businesses – rather than the town-wide event they had hoped could take place.
After the disappointment of losing the Winter Droving, the BID says it wants to turn what is left of the date into something positive for Penrith, while also using the experience to start planning something much bigger for 2027.
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