12:59pm Friday 10th August 2007
ORGANISERS of the latest motocross event at Matterley Basin near Winchester have hailed it as a "phenomenal success".
The event - organised by Hampshire Motocross Club - raised more than £25,000 for Leukaemia Busters, a Southampton based children's leukaemia research charity.
The last bike event at the venue - the Motocross of Nations, last September - attracted criticism from local residents who complained about disruption to the nearby A31. But local politicians claimed the latest bike meeting, whose attendance was considerably less than the 50,000 at last September's event, had been well organised.
Neil Baxter, city councillor for the Itchen Valley, said: "I was watching it very closely. It seemed to be well run and I had no complaints from anyone.
"The one last year between 50-70,000 people attended and it was really a mess. There was a lack of organisation but there was nothing like that this time."
Steve Gapper, chairman of Itchen Valley Parish Council, added: "I have not had any complaints, it was much smaller this time and it was all in a good cause.
"We're keeping a watching brief on what's happening up there though."
Sara Curtis, charity secretary of Hampshire Motocross Club, said: "It was a phenomenally successful day, we raised more than £25,000 for Leukaemia Busters.
"It was absolutely fantastic and we are very grateful to Mr and Mrs Bruce for allowing us to use it.
"I hope we have gone some way to prove motocross is not a bunch of hooligans, it's actually a really good way of raising money for a very worthwhile cause."
WCC's licensing sub-committee gave landowner Peveril Bruce permission to hold two events of up to 15,000 people, four of up to 5,000, and four of up to 2,000, in May 2007
© Copyright 2001-2010 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk