The front page of Thursday’s Free Press didn’t make good reading for Rhuthun PLC. Raked up were the problems associated with the summer’s Top Dre, the Saturday afternoon and early evening conclusion to the Gŵyl Rhuthun Festival. For a good many in Rhuthun, the 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Top of Town spectacular is a family affair with acts on stage in a relaxed, traffic free environment. Last time, though, it was seemingly spoilt after 8 p.m. by alleged break-ins and criminal damage, these apparently linked to the drinking that is associated with and following Top Dre.
There was a comment in the recent Free Press that a meeting called to see what might be done was attended by just two publicans. These are the very businesses that benefit most from Top Dre.
For the rest of the town during and before Top Dre, business is dead. I mean dead. If the landlords can’t get together to solve some of these recent and disturbing issues, you have to ask whether Top Dre has a future. And that would be such a shame, because talk of moving the festival out of town would mean it loosing its heart. Yet, without the support of the pub trade in tackling matters it would seem to indicate its continuation would do the whole town a disservice in terms of vandalism, behavioural issues, bad press—and loss of trade, other than for the pubs on and around the Square.
There was a comment in the recent Free Press that a meeting called to see what might be done was attended by just two publicans. These are the very businesses that benefit most from Top Dre.
For the rest of the town during and before Top Dre, business is dead. I mean dead. If the landlords can’t get together to solve some of these recent and disturbing issues, you have to ask whether Top Dre has a future. And that would be such a shame, because talk of moving the festival out of town would mean it loosing its heart. Yet, without the support of the pub trade in tackling matters it would seem to indicate its continuation would do the whole town a disservice in terms of vandalism, behavioural issues, bad press—and loss of trade, other than for the pubs on and around the Square.
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