The evening comprised of a number of races, taking in the excruciatingly steep and poorly-surfaced Victoria Street, before haring down George IV Bridge and swinging round Greyfriar’s Bobby. The entire loop might only be 1.3 miles, but it’s one of the toughest criterium courses in the country.

A criterium consists of lapping the course for a set length of time, then on expiry of that time a further designated number of laps. For the elite riders, as darkness began to fall, this meant an hour of circuit-after-circuit before a five lap sorting out.

Tactics play out over the entire length of the race, and so it proved with Scottish rider Evan Oliphant (riding for Endura Racing) heading out into the lead on his own after about half an hour. Kristian House of Rapha-Condor had sat in the main bunch which let Oliphant escape, before launching his own attack, and as the hour came and went he had been seen to gradually reel in the man out front, work with him for a couple of laps, before powering off on his own, and managing to stay ahead of the chasing pack for victory. Oliphant came home third, with the two main attackers of the evening being split by Aussie Cameron Meyer (who finished third last year).

While it’s always exciting to see top pros competing up close (and many making the cobbles up Victoria Street look flat, and the gradient level) perhaps the most entertaining part of the evening is the folding bike race.

Here competitors, dressed in ‘business’ attire (though the rules on this are fairly relaxed given most work cycling shoes to attach to clipless pedals), start Le Mans style, with their bikes folded 20 metres away from them. After the initial run and unfolding carnage there follows three laps of the circuit, with the riders here proving no less committed than the big-wheeled standard bike competitors.

But the night isn’t just about the racing. The atmosphere on the Grassmarket on a Saturday night is usually boisterous, but that never spills over into trouble at the event (save for a few who always try to spoil it for everyone), and for cyclists there is a true carnival atmosphere that the morning commute by bike just doesn’t provide. Here they can compete in timed trackstand competitions, or race of staic roller bikes.

The numbers in the crowds actually seemed a little down on last year – though a clash with the first day of the Tour, as well as a Spanish world cup quarter final, might have had something to do with that. Everyone who went will simply be hoping that it comes back for a third year in 2011, and I might personally be convinced to take part in the folding race again after sitting it out this year…

The race was inaugurated in 1970 by Burns Scott and Jimmy Jardine, ostensibly to celebrate the story of the Saltire appearing in the sky over Carnethy Hill to inspire an exhausted Scottish army at the battle of Roslin in 1302. At first it began at Penicuik Park and the runners ran along the road and ascended Carnethy Hill only, a distance of some  miles. Two years later, Scald Law was added.  In 1980 the weather was so bad that the organisers called it off, but confident runners, who had travelled from far and wide, ran the race unofficially.

From 1981, the course was extended to take in the 5 hills. With around 500 runners taking part these days, the start and finish have been located in the field below the hill, rather than having runners on the road from the school. A fleet of buses takes the runners to the encampment at Silverburn and back. They first run up Scald Law, then East Kip and West Kip, then Black Hill and down to the Howe before the long, hard slog up Carnethy itself and the painful descent. All in all it’s 6 miles and 2500’ of climb. As the runners are not on the tourist path, they are not causing permanent damage but the original descent from Carnethy down the scree slope was beginning to make its mark and now a marked route has to be followed which changes slightly each year.

Jimmy himself has run in every race, making this year his 40th, a unique achievement. That takes some doing. Jimmy from Lochaber A. C. has run many races in less than the hour but now in his seventies, it takes a little longer. A well kent face, there is no shortage of encouragement for him on the hills and he acknowledges it all with a cheery smile.

Joining him in this 40th year’s celebrations were 5 people who joined the 21 Club, people who have competed in 21 races and who are presented with an engraved quaich to honour the occasion.

Amongst them this year is the first woman to join this dedicated  club, Pat McLoughlan from Westerlands  and there was a bottle of champagne awaiting her as she crossed the finish line. How much of it was used to wash off the mud and how much to drink is anyone’s guess.

The Carnethy 5 race really kicks off the hill running season and this year there are 185 races in the calendar, which is compiled by the Scotttish Hill Runners Association. These races cover the whole of the country, from Wideford Hill in Orkney to Criffel Hill near  Dumfries.

For further information on hill running see the Scottish Hill Runners website.

We’re at the British Trec Championships. Trec is the new kid on the equestrian sport block, growing in popularity all the time. ‘Trec’ was originally an acronym – Technique de Randonnee Equestré de Competition. The sport originated in France, as you’d imagine from its lengthy Sunday name. Trec is an agreeable mix of orienteering on horseback, three day eventing and a dash of that other French invention, It’s a Knockout.

Trec competitions need a lot of open countryside, some of it a bit remote, so they generally take place in photogenic scenic locations. The 2006 European Championships were held in unfeasibly green and pleasant Exmoor while the previous British Championships descended on Bakewell in the Peak District. The West Linton setting, the first Scottish venue for the British Championships in several years, offers rolling farmland, miles of historic trackways, open moorland and steep, rugged hillsides. Perfect.

Orienteering on Horseback
There are individual and pairs competitions at three different levels and a fiercely-contested team competition between Wales, Scotland and England. Wendy Taylor is the Scottish Chef d’Equipe; she’s from West Lothian, just across the Pentlands, and so knows the location fairly well. On Saturday the competitors are sent off at regular intervals with bulging saddlebags, various bits of dangling equipment and map and compass. This is the orienteering phase, acronymed, from the French, as POR. The green hill country gleamed in breezy sunshine, the perfect location for a pleasant ride out, but also a challenging route-finding environment. Most will be out for several hours, and have to be equipped for all eventualities; imagine using map and compass for navigation as you are battered by horizontal rain, while at the same time trying to retain control of half a ton of horse. Then finding shelter only for swarms of Pentland midges to descend on you.

This phase, depending on the level of the competition, can be 20, 30 or even 40km, so even though the contenders start off just over the border in, er, the Borders, the route they are given takes them far and wide, including deep back into the Midlothian slopes of the Pentlands above Carlops. Horse and rider combinations clatter past all day, some quickly, some slowly, some purposefully, some completely lost. Many of the English competitors were at first bowled over by the scenery, then astonished to find that their route was leading them over the 1763ft summit of Mount Maw; some were from Norfolk and this kind of thing was rather new to them.

Spirits remained good, however, and it helps that the sun is a fixture. At the half-way veterinary check, there’s a log-jam of horses waiting for the OK to continue on their way, and a BBC camera crew capture the milling equestrian crowd for a segment on Landward.

Many local folk and passers-by, if they come across the event, seem a little bemused; ‘Some sort of horsey thing, is it?’ I’m asked by one motorist as he strolls from his car. Trec isn’t as instantly recognisable as show jumping or dressage, but it uses and allows competitors to experience beautiful countryside better than any other equestrian sport.

The riders return, full of tales of adventure, getting lost, finding their way again, of brief showers, midges and hot sunshine. The horses are untacked, fed and allowed to rest, while some riders sneak off for hot showers. That evening, the Trec community party the night away with a meal and a ceilidh – but not too wildly, because there’s more to come next day.

Well-being is Paramount
Each horse is again inspected by a vet next morning before the competition restarts; several hours bashing about the Pentlands can take its toll and their well-being is paramount (the mere riders don’t get a medical). The next phase, Control of Paces (COP) requires each horse and rider pairing to proceed along a track for a set distance, and back again. On the outward leg, the task is to ‘control’ the canter so that it is as slow as possible; on the return leg, they must walk as quickly as possible. From a spectator point of view, CG lacks the grace and precision of dressage or the thrills and spills of show-jumping or cross-country. In truth, it isn’t usually good television. In this hill country setting, however, the whole exercise is a thing of beauty.

The competitors then moved on to the obstacle course (or PTV, which, again, is a French acronym for something or other). This resembles a truncated cross-country phase of a three-day event, but with a series of obstacles and tasks rather than simply things to jump over. One of these involves the rider dismounting and walking away from the horse, with the horse required to remain stationary. Yes, just like a ‘Stay!’ task in dog obedience trials. Only with a horse.

Later on, the competitors have to get to the other side of swollen water crossing and bend between poles gymkhana-style. Any actual jumping is quite easy; ‘A lot of people get into Trec because they’re not keen on jumping,’ I’m told. In any case, each obstacle is optional; you simply sacrifice points by opting out. The whole PTV takes place on a saucer-shaped hill above Bogsbank Road, a natural grandstand enabling spectators to see most obstacles at once.

Appeal
So, what’s the appeal of Trec for the rider? ‘It encompasses every good thing about riding and challenges you on every level,’ says Lorna Holden, a member of the Scottish team, ‘It’s a bit like running a marathon while completing The Times crossword.’

The weather, wild at times, was actually perfectly acceptable; clear blue sky and unrelenting hot sunshine would be good for neither horse nor rider, especially in the orienteering phase. During the winter, truncated Trec competitions (without the orienteering element) are held in indoor riding arenas. But the sport belongs to the hill, rolling countryside and the open air, and it’s best experienced there. The Pentlands are ideal.

Trec itself is still in its infancy, at the same stage, perhaps, as football when the teams still changed ends after every goal. The scoring system is horrendously complicated and it’s hours after the last competitors are off the PTV course before the results are known. In the growing gloom of a Sunday evening the prizes are finally dished out – three of the classes are won by Scottish competitors, but the overall team championship has been claimed by England. But Wendy isn’t too disappointed; it’s been close.

By the middle of next day, horses, riders, tents, horse boxes and most traces of the competition are gone from West Linton and the Pentlands are left to the farmers and walkers and wildlife. But, somewhere in the Lothians, competitions in this growing sport will be happening again soon. Pop along and try to catch one – it’s a different kind of day out in the countryside.

It also means that – after a long break – diving is coming back to Newbattle Pool because the Edinburgh Diving Club will develop diving programmes for all age groups in order to progress standards – which are already at an all time high in Midlothian.

The agreement between Midlothian Council and Edinburgh Leisure also boosts Scotland’s medal-winning prospects at the 2014 Commonwealth Games as two of the country’s brightest prospects – Midlothian hopefuls Jennifer Currie and Amber Foster – will be able to train on their  ‘home patch’.

Jennifer (17) – from Roslin – is a senior Scottish Level Diver who has recently returned from the British Championships with a 4th place. She is both a 2012 Olympic Games and a 2014 Commonwealth Games Potential.

Amber Foster, (10) from Bonnyrigg -  who currently trains at the Commonwealth pool and is British National Novice Champion   -  will also now be able to continue her  training at ‘home’  in Midlothian rather than having to move  to alternative facilities elsewhere in Scotland.

An Edinburgh Leisure spokesperson said, “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Midlothian Council to ensure that Edinburgh Diving Club can continue their training programme and our Learn to Dive  programme can be maintained.”

The Royal Commonwealth Pool closes its doors on 28 June 2009 for a two year upgrade.

The Newbattle Leisure Pool will be closed for one week from 29 June to 5 July 2009 inclusive while improvement work to the diving boards and pool  is carried out. The initiative is being supported and funded by The City of Edinburgh Council, Edinburgh Leisure, The Edinburgh Diving Club and the National Diving Committee -  part of Scottish Swimming.

Provost Montgomery points out  “While Midlothian sees this as a development opportunity, there will obviously be changes to the current swim programme at Newbattle Pool.  Public swimming times and other sessions will not change but there may be restrictions to swimming full-lengths at times. Once the changes have been agreed new programme times will be issued. ”

Picture shows Amber and Jennifer help Councillor Adam Montgomery, Provost of Midlothian, launch the pool-sharing deal at Newbattle with swimming pool manager Kenny Davidson.

The team, who first started to receive support from West Lothian College this year, were supported all the way by staff, students and local residents.

In an exciting 80 minutes, in front of around 800 supporters at the Almondvale Stadium in Livingston, the team cruised to a 2-1 win against Fauldhouse FCA to bring home the County Cup, the biggest cup in the West Lothian area.

Club Coach and ICT Technician at West Lothian College, Brian Smillie, said, “Blackburn United is a community football club which has over 100 local players from the age of five right up to adult level. The under 16s did a terrific job at the County Cup final and should be very proud of themselves. On behalf of everyone at the club and the boys on the team, we would like thank West Lothian College for their continued support, it is great that institutions like the College are supporting projects like this in their local area.”

Sixteen golfers from each of Swanston Seniors section, and the Scottish Disabled Golfers Partnership (SDGP) took part in a friendly match across the challenging layout, enhanced further by the addition of six new holes.  Two players from each side took part in this Ryder Cup style match, with eight tee off slots.  The match itself resulted in a comfortable 6-2 victory for the hosts, but the SDGP players more than made their impression on proceedings.

One of the most memorable occurrences of the day, was the tee shot by Jim Gales, the head of SDGP, who, despite his visual impairment, managed to hit his tee shot 197 yards on the par 3 8th, to within ten feet of the flag, and hole the putt for a 2!!  It helps if you can’t see the gorse bushes that lie in wait either side of the target!

Another was the friendship formed between one of the SDGP members from the Isle of Arran, and a Swanston Senior who will be visiting his new friend from Arran whilst on holiday later this year – and no doubt enjoying another round or two together.

The SDGP team comprised blind golfers, amputees, a deaf player, and one with epilepsy.

Before battle commenced on Swanston’s excellent course, tea, coffee and bacon rolls were served by our most amiable hosts.  After the round, everyone enjoyed a meal of chicken curry or fish pie.  A raffle followed, with prizes most generously provided by Swanston Golf, the owners of the complex. The day was rounded off with speeches from the respective Captains, as well as the Director of Swanston Golf, Stewart Snedden.

Plans are already afoot for a second round of this friendly tussle.  The purpose of the organisation is to provide golfing opportunities and tuition facilities for anyone in Scotland with a disability or serious health issue.  Anyone interested can telephone Fraser Paterson on 07950 003 885, or e mail him at sdgp09@blueyonder.co.uk

Having triumphed at the 2009 Sportshall Athletics tournament – involving 26 schools over a five week tournament – Paradykes Primary and Woodburn Primary schools are now set to compete for Midlothian at an inter-area final next week in Edinburgh.

Sportshall Athletics is an indoor athletics event adapted for primary school pupils and the Midlothian event was held at Mayfield leisure centre and was organised by the Midlothian Active Schools Team with help from Lasswade Athletics Club.

The event for Primary 6 and 7 pupils  was held  over five dates, with pupils from the 26 schools  competing against schools of a similar size.  The following schools took part over the five week event:

King’s Park, Gorebridge, Danderhall, Lasswade and Strathesk took part in Week One, with King’s Park victorious collecting the first week winners’ shield. 

Week Two’s winners’ shield was won by Cuiken, with strong competition from Cornbank, St. Luke’s and St. Mary’s. 

During the third week  St. Andrews, Mayfield, Tynewater, Loanhead, St.Margaret’s and Hopefield all taking part, with Hopefield securing the weekly winners’ shield for week three.

Week four winners’ shield was collected by St.Matthew’s Primary, but closely contested by St.Davids, Stobhill, Moorfoot and Glencorse. 

The final week was also very close, with Paradykes prevailing in a strong pool consisting of Woodburn, Hawthornden, Mauricewood, Newtongrange and Bonnyrigg.

Each school that took part received a certificate to take back to their school to recognise their efforts. 

The overall Sportshall Athletics result was  determined by a very arduous process of taking the top two schools from each week, and ranking each of the 10 schools times and distances from 10 points to 1 point. The overall winner was  the school that has the most points at the end. 

The 2009 champions  are Paradykes Primary School from Loanhead, with Woodburn Primary School from Dalkeith coming a very close second. Congratulations Paradykes!

These top two teams have now go through to represent Midlothian at the East of Scotland Sportshall Athletics Inter-area finals, competing against the top two schools from Edinburgh, East Lothian and West Lothian at Meadowbank Stadium on Monday 9 March 2009. 

This event is organised by the Edinburgh City Council Athletics Development Officer in conjunction with Scottish Athletics.

Councillor Peter Boyes, Midlothian Council cabinet member for Education and Communities said; “In congratulating all schools and pupils who took part, we also wish Paradykes and Woodburn all the best in next week’s inter-area finals.”

The end result was to see a charity football match held at Tynecastle Stadium in front of an audience of 1,300 Edinburgh football supporters. The successful first years event in 2006, raised in excess of £8,000 for the Sick Kids Hospital in Edinburgh. The event was widely promoted in local and national radio and newspapers with an official match day magazine produced and a DVD recorded by Hibernian Interactive.

In 2007 the Edinburgh Charity Game made its return and the second match was played at Easter Road Stadium where they raised more than £13,500 in aid of Simpsons Special Care Babies.

In 2008 the fans chose Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centre based in the Western General Hospital. Maggie’s is a place for people who have cancer, as well as their friends and family. Over £11,500 was raised for the center.

We aim to make our 2009 event which takes place at Tynecastle Stadium on the 5th April 2009 one of our biggest yet. We hope to raise over £10,000 for this years charity which is CCLASP (Children with Cancer and Leukaemia Advice and Support for Parents).

Hearts won the 2006 match by 3 goals to 2, Hibs got their revenge by winning the 2007 game 3-1, and then retained the trophy with a 4-3 win in 2008. 2009 is sure to be as competitive as ever..

More info on the match itself including ticket details can be found on our website www.edinburghcharitygame.org

ASDA’s Sporting Chance sessions will get kids on the track to stardom – following on from the success of British athletes at the 2008 Olympics. The FREE sports sessions make sport accessible and affordable for families on a tight budget, gearing kids up for holidays jam packed with sport – swapping TV and video games for a variety of sporting sessions available across the area.

Kids from Bathgate will have access to a wide range of sports sessions this February half term, from football to martial arts, golf to dance lessons – a great choice of healthy, fun and FREE activities.

All parents need to do is…
· Pop into their local ASDA store and pick up a Sporting Chance voucher
· OR download a voucher from www.asda-sportingchance.co.uk
· Log onto www.asda-sportingchance.co.uk (or call 0845 366 3979) to see what’s on near them
· Book a place
· Go along on the day with the free voucher

Lisa Burnett, Head of ASDA in the community, commented, “Following the success of Sporting Chance in 2008, I am sure that parents and children will enjoy taking advantage of the wide range of activities on offer.”

Cathy Nikitis, a mother who participated in the initiative in 2008, said, “This was a fabulous opportunity for myself and my children to try golf. We even had the opportunity to do the course a second time which made it even more of a bargain! I truly hope that this scheme will be running next year as it gives children the opportunity to try new sports.”

The Sporting Chance initiative also identifies and provides financial support for the best emerging young talent the UK has to offer, with 340 potential medallists supported by ASDA SportsAid grants.

For further information visit www.asda-sportingchance.co.uk.

More than 200 skiers in 52 teams from 35 schools from all over the UK took part in the British Schools Dry Slope Ski Championships at the Midlothian SnowSports Centre recently.

The schools championship was first held in 1968 at what was then called the Hillend ski centre and this year’s event – organised by the Scottish Schools Ski Association – was very much a ‘homecoming’ to Midlothian for the 40th annual competition.

Overall winning teams were:

Girls
1. Surbiton High School (Surrey)
2. Sheffield High School
3. Cowbridge Comprehensive (Vale of Glamorgan)

Boys
1. Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School, (Rochester, Kent)
2. Cowbridge Comprehensive
3. Reed’s School ( Cobham, Surrey)

The winners were presented with their prizes by Kenny Morton, a member of the British Ski Team, and Donald MacKay, Director of Education and Communities at Midlothian Council.

Donald MacKay said: “Hillend Ski Centre was established in the 1960s by George Boyd Anderson, a local businessman who recognised the benefits of outdoor education. He wished to see how Lothian youngsters fared in competition with young people from across the United Kingdom and instigated some Invitation Races for schools, which later developed into the British Schools Dry Slope Ski Championships.

“Forty years later, Midlothian Council – which runs the Midlothian SnowSports Centre – is delighted to welcome you all back to the schools championships’ home slope, which has have introduced thousands of young people to skiing, many of whom have gone on to be very successful in the sport”

The Boyd Anderson Trust – which provided snack lunches for volunteers and race officials – also sponsored two new trophies for the Fastest Girl in Race and Fastest Boy in Race, which were won by Abby Clifford (Thomas Telford School) and Gerard Flahive (St Albans Boys School).

Pupils from Hopefield Primary school were the first to have the opportunity to get to grip with the maps in their school ground, as pictured here with Scott Fraser, National Development Officer for Orienteering – a former Newbattle Community High School pupil – who presented the map packs to representatives from each school in Midlothian.

Scott was instrumental in drawing up the maps and he is very positive about developing orienteering for young people in Midlothian. Each school received an orienteering pack which consists of: -

. 30 colour maps
. Orienteering markers (three types) and orienteering cards
. Control punches, and
. A computer disc with an electronic  map of the school grounds.

Following a successful bid to ‘Awards for All’ for funding by Eoin Keane, a teacher with the Outdoor Learning Service at  Greenhall Centre, all schools and school grounds have been  mapped in full colour for use in a variety of ways including orienteering, maths, science, physical education, social subjects and health and well being.

In addition, training for staff has been organised in Level 1 Orienteering and in map software so that use of the map packs can be maximised, and early discussions have taken place with local orienteering clubs, Edinburgh Southern and Interlopers, to look at pathways for young people to develop the sport.

Chalmers Smith, Midlothian Council’s outdoor learning co-ordinator, said, “The map packs are a great resource for schools as they can be used in so many creative and diverse ways. Learning to use maps is a life skill and using a high quality, colour map of your own school grounds is an ideal place to start. The maps open up further opportunities for youngsters and young people to experience learning out of doors.”

In addition to the school maps, parks at King’s Park, Newtongrange and Ironmills have also been mapped which will allow for progression and further challenges.

On 26 November 2008, the second Orienteering Festival for P7 school pupils in Midlothian is due to take place at Vogrie Country Park. All P7 classes are invited to send a team of 4 to take part in this fun event – where there will be prizes for the winning boy and girl and the winning team.

Seventeen year old Mark – now an apprentice mechanic – started playing football as a pupil at Beeslack High School in Penicuik.

Gill Pye – his former PE teacher at Beeslack High – made the first contact with the manager of the Scotland international cerebral palsy team to suggest that he come along and have a look at Mark’s skills.

Since then, Mark has been coached by Keith Wright – an SFA football development officer with Midlothian Council – who explained, “Although he only started three years ago, he has been a regular player in our Bank of Scotland Midnight league programme organised through the Midlothian Council and Scottish Football Association partnership.

“Mark is now regularly selected for the Scottish International Cerebral Palsy Team and – at the recent World Cup Games in Brazil he was awarded Young Player Of The Tournament”.

Mark commented; “Being selected to play both for my country – and now also as a member of the ParalympicsGB squad in China – is a great honour, which I have been able to achieve only through the support and encouragement of my coaches and team-mates at Midlothian. ”

Mark’s achievements have also been recognised in the Midlothian Council Sports Awards 2008 – where he was Highly Commended in the Junior Individual category

Councillor Jim Muirhead, Cabinet Member for Education and Communities – who presented the Midlothian Sports Awards – added, “We are delighted at Mark’s achievements and wish him and all his ParalympicsGB team-mates all the best for China.”

The 2008 Paralympic Games are due to be held in China from September 6th – 17th, two weeks after the Olympic Games but at the same venues. The Paralympic Games are a multi-sport event for athletes with physical or sensorial disabilities – including mobility disabilities, amputees, visual disabilities and those with cerebral palsy. The Paralympic Games are held every four years, following the Olympic Games, and are governed by the International Paralympic Committee. The Paralympic Games should not be confused with the Special Olympics World Games, which are for people with intellectual disabilities.

There are courses for all ages and levels of fitness but usually orienteering takes a lot of organising. Now The Friends of Braidburn Valley Park have installed a permanent orienteering course in the park so you can go along any time. To get the course off and running (pardon the pun) they teamed up with Interlopers Orienteering Club to host an Introduction to Orienteering Event on 11th June between 6.30pm and 8pm.

“Sport and exercise in our local parks and green spaces is really important for making us feel good about ourselves. Orienteering is a great, easy and cheap way to get involved. Braidburn Valley Park’s new permanent orienteering course is for anyone to have a go. A downloadable orienteering map is on our website – www.braidburnvalleypark.org.uk. Come along and have a shot.”

Graeme Ackland of Edinburgh Interlopers Orienteering Club has been orienteering since he was a student at University. He met his wife Jane through orienteering and says his son James enjoys the sport too. James began as a toddler on line courses but now, aged 8, can orienteer confidently alone on simple courses. James is pictured at the opening with British Squad member and British Sprint Champion Scott Fraser of Dalkeith.
Graeme says, “Braidburn Park is an ideal place for children to learn the skills of orienteering. Being mainly open, traffic free, and bounded by fences competitors can be seen from everywhere, yet there is enough greenery to make the navigation challenging. Better still, the map is freely available with markers in place and suggested courses preplanned by leading Scottish orienteers, so it is immediately accessible to any organisation wishing to stage its own event.”