All I’m going on is what I was told so yeah probably a bit of Chinese whispers but I was at that last game and told there catagorically won’t be another there. I don’t know names or groups but that’s the genera gist of it much like we can’t use stanta because whoever is in charge of its use and training there got fucked off with the state two Airsoft groups supposedly left it.
Landmarc approved it, someone else higher up apparently didn’t supposedly.
I can say that landmarc got a new boss for that region, at the same time invictaairsoft went bust after one of the partners embezzled all the money, while at the same time not paying landmarc (& others), what they were owed, this caused the new boss at landmarc to take an instant dislike to all things airsoft, as well as change the conditions of use for most of the facilities, as well as putting up the prices.
this all happened about 6 years ago, whether the same circumstances still apply I don't know, but its a damn shame as its a great location, as well serial 20 & 40 which are both close by.
That makes more sense
Unpaid Bills is one thing that wouldn’t help you,
Lets just say that I know another reason why the MoDs prices for use of the estate nationally and for all activities will have gone up ‘more than inflation’ in recent years, and how the licence / conditions may have changed.
I’ll give a nod to the guys a few desks away to poke their noses around, but it (should) not be in the remit of one new manager of a contractor to ban an activity.
Airsoft and paintball events on training areas are good money spinners, so a contractor banning them would take away an income steam into the defence budget, stop Landmarc getting paid to do extra work on top of their contract, and stop senior managers getting bonuses for getting extra income from the MoD
There may be a relationship between the design / purpose of specific sites and the type/amount of use that gets permitted.
5/6 years ago does also tie in with issues on events that were cancelled by the MoD
Normally the services pre book training areas long in advance, its just one part of an exercise that needs a significant amount of advance planning. This allows for commercial bookings.
But in the terms and conditions the priority remains with the MoD if required, and that’s what happened quite a few times back then with event organisers getting their fingers burnt and though given alternate dates had to refund players and ended up with losses
Paintball on the defence estate is a little harder to run then airsoft. NvS was the first at Swynnerton and is still running annually (it’s expanded to airsoft as well). They are unique as they can use coloured paint, but they take on Swynnerton in advance and afterwards for a major clean up operation, NvS is so large that it generates enough £ to make that viabkenfor warped. The clean up and the specifics of Swynnerton mean this is the only urban training area available to coloured paint
All other paintball on the estate was only possible due to the commissioning of clear paint. It just leaves a wet patch on walls with the worst of the gel to be sprayed off and the shells to be swept up
Airsoft also just needs the bbs swept up as opposed to cleaned away
Event organisers had a whole series of events pulled from under their feet, at a similar time to urban paintball having peaked plus an increase in the number of organisers stepping in.
A declining market of people, less willing to pay a high premium for what was then less of a novelty, combined with a high risk of loss equals less inclination to risk your money putting on the event
The tale of woe with an organiser embezzling the cash, not clearing up properly and an activity being banned (but without a change of management) is exactly what happened with the Mall and paintball
A well respected organiser was going to run an event at the mall. They suffered a bereavement but the event was taken on by another respected individual and it was to still go ahead
A local team were having private mini games at the mall, and decided to run their own first event earlier than the planned one. Things then got too much for them
It was to be a limited paint, limited Numbers event - suitable for the venue. But they began to discover the true costs of running an event and to make things add up they made the bad decision of going to unlimited paint
Ignoring the disorganisation, it went to rat shit in minutes of game on.
Carpeted areas were soaked through, wooden & marble floors became ice rinks.
Add to this a bad batch of clear paint, and they had many unhappy customers
(I had a head injury and spent a fair amount of time with blood dripping down my face - but that was the fault of the idiot shooting my head from a couple of inches away, not the organizers)
Part of the ticket price was for players to assist in the clean up, the majority didn’t - they weren’t going to spend more time sweeping up than playing
We helped in the clean up for a few hours, but it was relentless - clean a wall off then more would drip down the wall from the ceiling, floors were swimming in clear paint and the sawdust that had been brought in.
It was appearant that we were clearing up but the organizers weren’t.
They left without paying the mall, and their guy with the money did a runner
That team clearly no longer exists
Ive heard from airsofters who still had the paint soaking back up months after wards
paintball was banned by the mall and the original planned event cancelled
