Wentworth Woodhouse has confirmed it will no longer work with the organiser behind this year’s Balloon Festival after widespread traffic disruption left visitors and residents facing lengthy delays travelling to and from the estate
In a statement issued this week, Wentworth Woodhouse Chief Executive Officer Sarah McLeod offered a sincere apology to everyone affected by the traffic chaos experienced during the event on Saturday, June 6.
The Balloon Festival attracted thousands of visitors to the Grade I-listed stately home, but many were met with severe congestion on roads leading to and from Wentworth Woodhouse and Wentworth village, prompting criticism from both attendees and local residents.
McLeod revealed that while organisers of major events are required to meet strict traffic management requirements set out by the Local Authority Safety Advisory Group, the Balloon Festival organiser failed to deliver the agreed arrangements.
“On behalf of everyone at Wentworth Woodhouse, I would like to offer our sincere apologies to all visitors who experienced difficulties travelling to and from Wentworth Woodhouse and Wentworth village,” she said.
“For every major event held at Wentworth Woodhouse, we require organisers to demonstrate that they have met all traffic management requirements and capacities set out by the Local Authority Safety Advisory Group. Regrettably, on this occasion, the event organiser failed to deliver the agreed traffic management arrangements in accordance with their contractual obligations.”
She added that the arrangements fell “well below the standards we expect” and acknowledged the frustration caused to visitors, local residents and the wider community.
Confirming action had been taken following a review of the event, McLeod said: “I want to assure everyone that we will not be working with this organiser again.”
The estate has since undertaken a detailed assessment of what went wrong and says lessons have been identified to ensure similar issues are avoided in the future.
McLeod accepted overall responsibility for the visitor experience, saying: “Ultimately, responsibility for the safety, enjoyment and overall experience of our visitors rests with me.”
She added that future event traffic management will be overseen directly by the Wentworth Woodhouse team or by appointed contractors with extensive knowledge of the site and its operational requirements.
“We have carefully reviewed what happened, identified the lessons to be learned, and are already implementing measures to ensure a situation like this cannot be repeated,” she said.
Despite the disruption, Wentworth Woodhouse says it remains committed to delivering successful events and thanked visitors and the local community for their continued support.
McLeod concluded: “Once again, I apologise to everyone affected. We greatly value the support of our visitors and local community, and we look forward to welcoming you to Wentworth Woodhouse again during our summer events programme.”
