When you’re booked to speak at a National Event promoting a way of life, it’s probably best not to criticise that way of life, publically as Ray Mears discovered this week when he found his appearance for the Caravan, Camping and Motorhome show cancelled after criticising ‘hideous’ caravans.
Camping and caravanning isn’t just a hobby, or a holiday, it’s a way of life and those who enjoy it are fiercely protective of it, and rightly so. So when Ray Mears declared this week that caravans were a hideous blight on the landscape, and a pain on the road, the community responded accordingly.
His appearance on the BBC show Room 101 where he put caravans in Room 101 provoked a huge reaction. On the show he said that “I get stuck behind them, and I think they’re hideous.”, adding that “Swathes of our coastline are just covered in these things. I wouldn’t mind so much if they could be painted green, but they have to be painted white. Gleaming white.” Then adding “You go down to Devon and all you can see are cities of these displaced urban people in their ghastly white caravans.”.
Mr Mears was due to be one of the speakers at next month’s Caravan, Camping and Motorhome show, a deal that was likely to net him around £10,000, but the organisers have dropped him from the schedule after his comments were aired on the BBC show. When dropping him from the show, spokesperson Emma Entwhistle said “There was no way we can now have him come along to speak at our event. He has slagged off the community we are in charge of promoting and protecting. He has insulted the people who come to the show.” And quite rightly so!
Ray Mears may be known as a survivor, but surviving this PR disaster might be more difficult than surviving a week in the wilderness!
The Caravan, Camping and Motorhome show runs from 17th to 22nd February at the NEC in Birmingham, and anyone who’s going along can listen to various speakers who actually like caravans (hopefully)!
