Ticket holders for a cancelled Cinderella on Ice performance at Lincolnshire Showground say they are still waiting for refunds almost 10 months on.
Cinderella on Ice was set to be a national tour put on by Fairy Tales on Ice, initially planning to come to Lincolnshire Showground between August 3 and 8, 2021.
However, the company postponed these shows for what they described as “uncertainty surrounding the events industry and coronavirus”, and the Showground dates were moved to February 14 to 20, 2022.
This announcement was made on July 7, 2021, and it is the last post made by Fairy Tales on Ice on social media channels, with comments limited after a number of customers spoke out about their experience with trying to arrange refunds.
A statement about the rescheduled shows says: “We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause, but we promised to take you and your families on a magical and enchanting journey, and this is something we simply must deliver to its fullest potential.
“It would mean a great deal to us if you could hold on to your tickets as the magic will return bigger and better than ever! We will take care of everything for you, and you will not need to do anything moving forward.
“However if you cannot make the new dates you can get the face value of your ticket refunded via the platform you purchased from.”
There was a deadline date of August 6, 2021 to apply for refunds, and anyone who missed that date would instead have tickets rolled over to the 2022 shows – which never even happened.
There are now a large group of paying customers who never got to see a performance and still do not have their money back, though it seems their complaints are falling on deaf ears. For some, it is a matter of hundreds of pounds.
Expired web pages indicate tickets were retailing at between £20 and £40.
Ian Penn, one of the people waiting for refunds, told The Lincolnite Fairy Tales on Ice told him to contact the ticket provider for refunds, who themselves directed Ian back to the production company.
He said: “Whilst it was disappointing the performance was cancelled, we understood as it was a difficult time with COVID-19. We were told a refund would be issued within 10 days.
“This did not happen and it now a very confusing situation. The promoter said via the Showground that refunds should be claimed from the payment processing company Skiddle.
“However, they have said they passed the ticket receipts onto the promoter, so it appears on face value that the promoter has retained all the ticket money.
“We are seeking to recover the money from our bank, but this is not certain, so the obvious question is what has happened to ours and all other ticket holders’ money?”
On Companies House there are two businesses that appear to be connected to this case, named Fairy Tales on Ice Ltd and Fairy Tales on Ice (2020) Ltd, with the former being dissolved in 2017.
Both have David William Thomas listed as a director, and the most recent 2020 company appears to be dormant.
Also, Fairy Tales on Ice had been advertising Dancing on Ice star Dan Whiston for the Cinderella production, but he took to social media at the start of 2022 to say he had not been involved since dates were changed last year.
On face value the case seems similar to the cancelled Comedy in the Park event and McFly concerts that were supposed to take place at Lincolnshire Showground last year, which again saw customers wait months on end for their refunds to be processed.
These events were put on by M&B Promotions, but both were cancelled as social media channels were deleted and access to the website was limited as the company was dissolved. PayPal eventually stepped in and cleared refunds after months of pressure from customers.
The Lincolnite has contacted both Fairy Tales on Ice and the Lincolnshire Showground for comment on multiple occasions, and neither had replied at the time of publication.
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The annual Woodhall Spa 1940s Festival takes place this weekend to celebrate life on the Home Front with a variety of themed events across the village.
The 2022 festival, which is run by a volunteer team of local residents, will take place on Saturday and Sunday, July 9 and 10 and entrance to the event is free.
Although entry to the main event and a lot of the entertainment and displays will be free, there are various ticketed concerts and dances that do incur a cost – see more information here.
Thousands usually gather at the Woodhall Spa 1940s festival. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Among the highlights at the festival will be flypasts from The Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF), including a Lancaster, Spitfire and Hurricane – see more information here.
Temporary Traffic Measures will be in place During the Woodhall Spa 1940s Festival on July 9 and 10, 2022.
There will be numerous road closures and traffic management measures put in place over the festival weekend – see more information here.
There will also be a Festival market and charity stands, including at Jubilee Park, and people can bring dogs but their pets are not permitted on the ‘Park and Ride’ buses.
It is expected to be a sunny weekend, with temperatures reaching as high as 25°C in the picturesque Lincolnshire village.
Skegness and Boston are to welcome the Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay on Monday, July 11 2022.
The Queen’s Baton Relay is a tradition that celebrates, connects and excites communities from across the Commonwealth during the build-up to the Games.
Travelling via land, air and sea, more than 180 communities in England are experiencing the Queen’s Baton on a route spanning 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometres) which started earlier this week in the South West on a 25-day tour of the region.
The baton will arrive in Lincoln on Sunday, July 10 before making its way to Skegness on Monday, July 11. After leaving Skegness, the baton will travel to Boston and then to Grantham before leaving the county.
Skegness will kick off the relay with the baton expected to be at Compass Gardens at 8am. The baton will then be taken on Magna Vitae’s Altitude44 high ropes before leaving Skegness at around 8.16am.
The Boston leg of the relay is expected to commence at 9.21am and end at 9.26am. The route starts in the Market Place, onto Church Street taking in the backdrop of the Stump and returning to the Market Place via Church Street.
The baton bearers for Skegness are Paul Dixon and Geoffrey Wilson. For Boston they are Peter Ward and Linda Baxter.
Paul Dixon, who was medically discharged from the Army in 2004, is a familiar face in the town. He is chairman of a local business chamber, chairman of the Skegness branch of The Royal British Legion, and a Lincolnshire Committee member. He is also the County Community Support Coordinator for Lincolnshire on behalf of the RBL.
Geoffrey Wilson is one of Magna Vitae’s longest serving members. He served in the RAF for 31 years and since 1989 he has been attending the area’s leisure facilities, including the old popular outdoor swimming pool at Skegness. He is possibly Magna Vitae’s oldest climber on Altitude 44 when he visited last year.
Peter Ward from Boston gives time to the local triathlon club to coach young children to improve swimming to enable them to take part in triathlons. At the age of 69 he qualified for the GB Age Group World and European Duathlon Age Group Championships and at the age of 71 finished for a couple of years.
Linda Baxter is the head coach of Evolution Martial Arts in Boston. Her main aim over the past 14 years has been to give youngsters and adults a positive goal in life. In that time, she has also produced Kickboxing World, European and British champions.
Cllr Steve Kirk, Portfolio holder for the Coastal Economy at East Lindsey District Council said: “It is a great honour for Skegness to be chosen to host the Queen’s Baton Relay. This will be an exciting time for the resort and a memorable day, particularly for the baton bearers who are well known in the community.
“It is great Skegness is playing its part in this national event in the run up to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and I look forward to welcoming the baton on Monday.”
Cllr Nigel Welton, Deputy Leader for Boston Borough Council said: “It is a privilege to welcome the Queen’s Baton relay into Boston and to showcase it around the iconic landmark of Boston Stump.
“The baton bearers both work hard to help the young people of the town achieve sporting and personal success. I would like to thank them for their commitment to helping young people and hope they enjoy their special day.”
Following the England tour, the baton relay will conclude at the Opening Ceremony of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games on July 28, 2022.
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