Dear Sir,

It is with the deepest regret that the steering committee of the volunteer group Ag Show 2015 must advise the public that it has become necessary to cease trying to provide an alternative to this year’s Annual Exhibition.

We may have “put the cart before the horse” in our enthusiasm to continue an annual tradition, now in its 77th year.

Respecting Government’s request to “not speak out publicly” until a Memorandum of Understanding had been delivered by them, we now must take this opportunity to set the record straight and address some of the rumours that have circulated.

On January 30, Government announced that the Agricultural Exhibition would be cancelled this year as they did not have the financial resources to put it on.

Jeff Sousa, citizen, put out a call to “save the Ag Show” on Facebook. There was an overwhelming response and he called an open meeting for anyone to attend, scheduled for February 11 at the Horticultural Hall.

In attendance were Lisa Johnston, Director of Parks; Georgette Caines, exhibition officer; the head groundsman from Parks, and a staff member from Public Works. Contrary to the rumour that no one from these departments were there, there was voluntary representation.

Joanne McPhee chaired the meeting, which concluded in the belief that we could play a strong supporting role to the Department of Parks, Government and their employees.

On February 18, Mr Sousa, Ms McPhee and Judy Canale (representing the volunteers) met with Public Works Minister Craig Cannonier, the Permanent Secretary of Works, Ms Johnston and Georgette Caines.

It was then we came to understand that Government was not going to have anything to do with putting on the show. This was indicated by stipulations that we would have no access or communication with the Department of Parks, the director, the exhibition officer or any employee.

We would not be allowed to use the name “Agricultural Exhibition”, so were not allowed to use or purchase the 4,000 printed catalogues, exhibitor tags, ribbons, wrist bands, nor would we be allowed to use the 290 annual trophies. We would not have access to any of the software programmes nor any information relating to entries or logistics, vendors or suppliers.

As disappointing as this was, there were legal considerations by Government which resulted in these decisions being made.

The Minister stated that we would need a Memorandum of Understanding from his ministry to proceed. He stated that the most he could do was to have the grounds ready and that we would not be charged a rental fee for using the Botanical Gardens.

Realising we had moved from a supporting role to one where we would have to start from scratch, the steering committee decided to forge ahead. We were confident that with the growing support of volunteers and corporate and private sponsorship, we would have the manpower and funds to carry out the event.

We were now in a position where we needed to set up a “not for profit” company so that we could open a bank account, obtain liability insurance and apply for registered charity status.

There was never any intention to privatise this event. These were the necessary steps to take to ensure that all legal and safety issues would be addressed.

The executive then broke the show down into categories and were advised to form subcommittees to address all the aspects of the show — fundraising, infrastructure, entertainment, coordination of volunteers, security, education, vendors, and so on. We were tasked with contacting suppliers and getting quotes to ensure that our fundraising committee could set their target to cover the costs over and above revenue gained from gate receipts and vendor’s fees.

We became increasingly aware that charitable organisations depend on the Ag Show as a major fundraiser. This made it more imperative than ever to do everything we could to proceed.

The Memorandum of Understanding was received on March 2. The stipulations contained in it made it impossible to continue.

We hope the people of Bermuda will understand that there was no hidden agenda and no political motive behind volunteers who came together to save this event.

It has been a delight to meet such a diverse group of people who have the willpower and energy to work together for the greater good of the community.

If Government, upon further consideration and reflection, concludes that the Agricultural Exhibition would be better served by being run by a non-­profit and that the money saved by Government could be put to better use, I believe that this group of volunteers would step up to the plate.

The Ag Show 2015 executive committee