Now the weekend has been and gone we feel as a organisation it was time to write and support the Beachdown event management team.

I like many others have worked alongside the organisers of Beachdown for many months and feel some of the press and comments being made on social networking sites to be a little unfair.

During the meetings with the event management team the main concern was to ensure the safety of the people who were to attend. As a local organisation we had spent the past six months planning with the events team, district council, police and fire service to ensure all safety aspects were covered and in place.

As an organisation providing fire and rescue provision on site we had undertaken meetings, table-top exercises and site visits in the run-up days to the event and were in communication with the team up until the last two days.

It is unfortunate that the event was cancelled and that we have financially lost on the event but know that the decision will not have been taken lightly.

We, as many other organisations across Sussex take calculated risks, this being one of them. I feel it is dissapointing that the organisers were not better supported locally in providing an event of this scale on the door step of Brighton.

Mr D French
Operations manager
Any Event Fire and Rescue Services
Old Uckfield Road
Ringmer, Lewes