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Island must find cash to keep powerboat festival
01 Nov 2004
The British Powerboat Racing Club (PBRC) has told Isle of Wight council officials they will have to stump up some cash to keep the Cowes Classic powerboat festival in the town, writes Iain Sutherland.
PBRC chairman Lord Beaverbrook and vice-chairman Lord Normanton said they were in negotiations with Torquay with a figure of £100,000 "being talked of" to support the event in Devon.
The three day event brings 90 boats and about 1000 people to the town.
The pair said they had felt that the last event had been ignored by the council and thus they felt it was unloved.
The event has also lost Honda as its sponsor so needs funding from elsewhere.
IoW council tourism boss John Fleming said the council would look closely at the situation.
Down in Devon the local tourism office said it didn't have funds to support the event and South Devon Chamber of Trade said the matter of sponsorship hadn't yet been discussed in any detail.
