The Great Western Air Ambulance helicopter at a previous HeliDays event

HeliDays event returns to town

Report by James Franklin , Reporter Tuesday, July 3, 2012
8:00 AM

WESTON Super HeliDays will return to the town this year after a two-year absence.

The 2012 event will be held at The Helicopter Museum in Locking Moor Road on July 21 and 22, as opposed to on the resort’s seafront where previous events have been held.

Organisers have said they are determined to keep the event alive to ‘continue waving the flag’ of Weston’s aeronautic past for future generations.

The annual event has previously attracted display teams and helicopters from air forces and companies from around the world, and celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2010.

But last year’s Beach Lawns-based extravaganza was cancelled by charity HeliDays’ 92 due to spiralling costs and a lack of grant money, despite the fact that the previous year’s event had attracted a record crowd.

A smaller event, called Weston Super Mini-HeliDays, was held last July instead.

But the show will return to Weston in its full size this year, and will move from the seafront to the museum’s Weston Airfield site.

A team from the German Navy is already confirmed for the event, while a number of other public, private and commercial helicopters will also take part.

More contributors and the event schedule will be announced nearer to the event.

The aircraft are set to arrive on July 20, and will remain at the museum until July 23.

Museum restoration manager Rod Holloway, who has acted as head aircraft marshal for the previous 10 events, said: “We are very pleased to be keeping this long running aviation event alive, even though we have had to relocate it from the Beach Lawns due to the recession and rising costs.

“Weston has almost 60 years of helicopter tradition, from manufacturing to the museum and we need to continue waving the flag for future generations.”

14 comments

I thought the Thales factory was next to the tip and that site was owned by...... The MOD. As for helicopter museum I dont know..... HM land registry should tell you that.

Report this comment

Simo

Thursday, July 5, 2012
Gruf. 1. He doesn't have a wife, she passed away over 20 years ago and i can assure you that he doesn't receive any income from the museum - you need to check your facts. And 2. Whilst you are at it Perhaps you could post a link to something that demonstrates his ownership of the Thales factory?

Report this comment

Toby

Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Unfortunately Toby, its purely his affiliation with anything to to with Helicopter related exhibitions & shows that seem to get peoples backs up. Personally, I dont agree with his ethics after I caught him ripping down signs advertising & directing traffic to a separate charity event on a Helidays weekend. What gave him the 'godly' right to remove these without going thru the correct motions of complaint? Unfortunately his 'holyer than thou' attitude sucks and is doing OUR town no good whatsoever.

Report this comment

TrueWestonian

Wednesday, July 4, 2012
to toby funny how he and his wife are the only people to take a wage from the museum and if you check hard enough he does own land there which is why when gypsys are near they get moved under the anti terrorism laws

Report this comment

gruf69

Wednesday, July 4, 2012
When will you keyboard warriors wake up the fact that he doesn't own the Helicopter museum, has never owned land on or near the airfield but just started up what is now a great tourist attraction for the town. Helidays was a charity fund raising event run by local volunteers and over the years raised half a million pounds for the museum and other local charities. And finally full accounts were made available for the town council but at the last minute they wanted them audited, the cost of which would have wiped out the grant being offered.

Report this comment

Toby

Wednesday, July 4, 2012
When will you keyboard warriors wake up the fact that he doesn't own the Helicopter museum, has never owned land on or near the airfield but just started up what is now a great tourist attraction for the town. Helidays was a charity fund raising event run by local volunteers and over the years raised half a million pounds for the museum and other local charities. And finally full accounts were made available for the town council but at the last minute they wanted them audited, the cost of which would have wiped out the grant being offered.

Report this comment

Toby

Wednesday, July 4, 2012
guess app rees is feeling the pinch but hey he keeps oposing everything so tough on him lets hope it flops as the buisness in weston wont see a penny of it

Report this comment

gruf69

Tuesday, July 3, 2012
WHAT !!! Elphan and accounts not being provided!!! Whatever next!!! Seriously though... Anything that brings visitors to the town is great, but as stated previously, its a shame that it is not on the lawns and it was probably the council themselves that priced the 'organisers' of this event out of the market. After all, if the full size show can now be held on the airfield, then why not the lawns? The difference surely must be the cost of the location? Has Elfan shot himself in the foot here?

Report this comment

TrueWestonian

Tuesday, July 3, 2012
@Nathan....I'll start with a tenner!!! No... twenty!! :-)

Report this comment

Bigboy

Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Yeah, a lack of grant money because Elfan Ap Rees wouldn't provide Weston Town Council with the accounts, so they rightly refused to give money towards the event. Want someone to blame for its demise, then look no further than Elfan Ap Rees.

Report this comment

Weston2010

Tuesday, July 3, 2012
"He" is a memeber of north somerset council not the town council and lets hope hes finished in november!

Report this comment

Simo

Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Doesn't a member of the town council own the landhelicopter museum? The one that opposes the devlopment of the Tropicana - and any sensible developments in WSM. If the Helidays are held at the museum - how does that help the businesses in WSM that depend on these events each year?

Report this comment

PB WSM

Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Maybe we can all chip in and raise enough money so when the German choppers leave they take app Rees with them!

Report this comment

Nathan

Tuesday, July 3, 2012
To me this event seemed to get smaller and smaller bu the year. Why not combine the plane and helicopter "air shows" to make one bigger event ?

Report this comment

The Ghost

Tuesday, July 3, 2012