Wringing out the Red Arrows

Link: ConnectMedia North West: Wringing out the Red Arrows.

This was a story that I put on the ConnectMedia website, but thought it suited this site also, because, what do you do when your story gets rained on?

Canny journalists may be able to save the day, but it could take some ingenuity. They say don’t work with children or animals, but what about the UK weather? We might set out with the best of intentions to get our page fillers, but there is always the great British thunderstorm to ensure they go soggy.

This weekend, I was at Southport Air Show, having been kindly invited by Helen O’Neill (O'Neill PR, Macclesfield), a recent ConnectMedia North West member who looks after Southport tourist board. The Air Show normally runs for two days, with aircraft displays on both the Saturday and Sunday, and the famous Red Arrows flying on both days. However, this year, for the first time ever, the Saturday show was a complete wash out – literally.

Unfortunately, the rainfall was so bad that the show had to be cancelled at the eleventh hour – the visibility and conditions were just too poor and the Arrows couldn’t fly – nor did it seem the public were willing to hang around in their Wellies and cagoules to catch sight of them. We’d been looking forward to it all day – and there were a number of journalists in Southport doing articles for the titles they were working on, now wondering if they’d have any story to go back with.

But every cloud has a silver lining (or so we hope and pray) and for Southport Air Show, it was the fact that there was still another scheduled day in which to hope for better weather and a decent turn-out. Thankfully, while Sunday was windier than a certain miller in a children’s programme that shows my age, the sky was clear and, on occasions, the day was even bright and warm.

So, the show must go on, and it did. It was well worth watching, though unbelievably – here’s blaming a hotel alarm call that didn’t reach the recipient who requested it (me) – I missed most of the Red Arrows, the first flying display of the morning. I can’t complain though, I was pretty impressed with the rest of the day.

I didn’t expect all that boys' stuff to be of interest to me, but hearing the sonic boom of the Harrier, and seeing the air formations of the Yakolevs, I got all excited like a little kid watching my first action movie. And the beach was packed with crowds and families of all ages, sexes and sizes (not just lads and dads) all there to lap up that excitement. It was top banana.

And the happy ending for the media present was that they did get their stories after all, without needing to conjure anything up from thin air. In fact, they ended up with a little more than they bargained for, albeit wet. But, let’s wish for a drier spell next year (and my own alarm clock) so I do get to see those boys in red.

For journalists seeking further information on the Air Show or Southport, contact:

Helen O'Neill
The Communication Centre
Tel: 01625 266 650
Email: oneillpr@btconnect.com