Gatesgarth, the OMM's overnight camp venue
A Cumbrian farmer says he is thousands of pounds out of pocket after helping runners in last year’s Original Mountain Marathon.
Willie Richardson of Gatesgarth Farm in the Buttermere valley gave shelter to competitors in the event after severe weather led to its curtailment. But he says a newly laid concrete floor was damaged in a shed in which hundreds of mountain marathon participants stayed.
He agreed to OMM competitors using the shelter on condition they did not go on to the area where the newly constructed floor was still setting. The section was cordoned off but, as more people took shelter, the cordon was broken down and the weight of the runners damaged the special rippled surface designed to stop livestock slipping and injuring themselves.
Gatesgarth was the designated overnight campsite for OMM competitors.
Mr Richardson and his building contractor Chris Parker say that the total cost of the damage, including legal fees, is about £14,000, They say they have been told by OMM organiser Jen Longbottom that the event’s insurance does not cover such damage.
The farmer told the News & Star newspaper: “If that shed had not been there, there would have been a lot of undertakers needed next morning. People would have died from hypothermia.”
Prof John Ashton
The event was run in appalling weather conditions and caused a media frenzy with Honister Slate Mine owner Mark Weir commenting that ‘We have come within inches of turning the Lake District mountains into a morgue’, a claim described by Supt Gary Slater of Cumbria Constabulary as ‘a little exaggeration’.
Following the October event, Prof John Ashton, joint director of public health for the county council and Cumbria Primary Care Trust, said organisers of the OMM should pick up the bill for the rescue operation mounted during the two day event. 13 people were taken to hospital after the Borrowdale-based marathon, most suffering from minor injuries and mild hypothermia.
Donations of more than £8,000 were pledged to the appeal to raise cash by OMM-ers after the event, including one individual gift of £500. Donations can still be made on the justgiving website.
This year’s OMM will take place in Wales.
grough’s calls to Jen Longbottom were not returned by the time of publication.
See also
All back safe as media storm follows OMM weekend
David
05 April 2009Surely the farmer has insurance?
As far as “If that shed had not been there, there would have been a lot of undertakers needed next morning. People would have died from hypothermia.” goes; If the shed wasn't there, the organisers would have used another place for shelter. If he had refused them entry in an emergency he would then be the one to blame, so his sentiments suck!
Baz
06 April 2009I'll be interested to follow this. Whereas Mr Weir's comments can be regarded as exaggeration, Mr Richardson appears to have had real monitery impact.
Rob
06 April 2009Yep, the farmer should have insurance.
Appaling conditions - not a single fatality. Shows how well organised the event is. The media-frenzy really took things out of context.
Paul Deane
07 April 2009I was furious with the media coverage of the OMM. The general public were not given all the information and uninformed comments, like those from Mark Weir of the Honister mine, were often misleading.
That said I have to add that it seems a little unreasonable to expect farmers to pay for insurance cover against damage caused to outbuildings by sheltering marathon participants. If the cost of the damage can be independantly corroborated then it's my opinion that the OMM organisers and participants should pay out of courtesy.
The Piglit
07 April 2009This is just another cunning paesant ruse to get money - IGNORE
Jhimmy
10 April 2009Er....correct me if I'm wrong, but this says "the farmer and his contractor"...no mention of an independant surveyor inspecting the damaged concrete. Also, newly laid concrete can mean anything fom a few hours to many weeks. I always thought that cows were heavier then humans. If the concrete was set, then surely it would have been unsuitable for cows if humans were able to damage it.
If this is a genuine case, I really hope he gets full compensation. But call be sceptical ;-)
Iain
06 September 2009Right.
I've seen the shed floor - it's ruined.
The organisers wouldn't have used another building if Mr Richardson hadn't had his new shed built by the time of the OMM disaster - there isn't one.
Newly laid concrete in this case means it had been down 24 hours.
To "The Piglit" - learn to spell if you are going to be so uninformed and rude.
OMM wasn't well organised at all - what was well organised was the recovery/rescue of the participants by the police/rescue team/local farmers.