2:10pm Saturday 20th March 2010
By Richard Gurner
The Brighton Horse Driving Trials will not be held in the city after this year’s event.
Faced with tough competition from rival events and weekend shopping, as well as a lack of volunteer manpower, the 30th year of horse driving trials at Stanmer Park this summer will be the last.
Philip de Leon, who is a member of the event's organising committee, said: “We have decided that we cannot get enough young blood to put it together and paying for contractors to come and do it is not feasible.
“Unfortunately because there is no support from the sport's organising body we have decided that we have to pull down the tents and call it a day.
“We have had all sorts of competitors from national champions taking part and people involved in international championships.
“They all considered it a pretty tough event and that's why they all came.
“The number of visitors have fallen over the years. We now attract a couple of thousand a day over the three days but it started first off with about 10,000 to 12,000 in the old days.
“We have to compete with shops opening on Sunday and there are still plenty of other events going on. There's more for people to do now.”
Mr de Leon said the support from the old Brighton Borough Council and latterly Brighton and Hove City Council had been huge – especially from former director of parks Mike Griffin.
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