Padstow Christmas festival: Traders who lost thousands threaten civil action after police drop investigation

Traders who lost nearly £30,000 due to a scrapped Christmas market event have been told no crime has been committed and must take civil action if they want to try to recover any losses. It is as the organizer defends her decision and says that any civil action would be hopeless as there is no money left in the company.

Devon and Cornwall Police have been investigating the finances of Tina Evans, the woman behind the much-loved Padstow Christmas Festival, which, until the announcement was made in May, had been running successfully for 16 years.

Due to take place for the 17th time in December, the sudden and unexpected cancellation of the festival, which brings thousands of people to Padstow every winter and with it injects hundreds of thousands of pounds into the local economy, has devastated many of his fans. But in the days that followed, angry traders explained that they had made deposits to attend this year’s event and wanted their money back.

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After a period of silence following the cancellation of the four-day festival, an email from its organizer confirmed they would not be getting any money back as she wished them all the best for the future. Tina Evans initially said she had to pay money before the event so there was nothing left to return.

One of the traders told CornwallLive at the time: “This is completely unfair to all traders who have also had to pay seven per cent more than last year due to rising costs. With Christmas events requiring deposits 10 to 11 months in advance, small businesses suffer huge costs at the start of each year.”

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They added: “However, we all know that in the wake of events, we make even more money back. To have lost our deposit (some traders have lost over £1,000 in deposits) is absolutely crippling.”

It later emerged that no service provider had taken deposits for the year ahead, leaving traders wondering where the money, confirmed to be at least £29,723.10 and estimated to be more than £50,000 , when I include sponsorships and other no-show merchants, gone.

They demanded to know where their funds went. Ms Evans then came up with a further explanation, admitting that she had used the money from this year’s deposit to pay last year’s bills which she had not yet paid.

Devon and Cornwall Police previously confirmed they had received a “number of complaints” from traders, saying they believed it was a case of fraud. The force has confirmed that now, following a full investigation, no offense is believed to have taken place and that it is indeed a matter of civil law, not criminal.

In an email to traders, the investigating officer said they even looked at the promoter’s finances to see if she had taken the money for herself as part of the investigation. They confirmed that all expenses “appeared to be legitimate business costs”.

The detective inspector said: “We looked at how the deposits taken were used to see if there was any evidence that money was withdrawn from the company for the benefit of the director, which would indicate an intent to defraud. All transactions seen appear to be legitimate business costs.”

He added: “It’s not unusual or criminal for companies to go into debt and try to trade their way out of that situation”, saying officers had “found nothing to disprove” that this was what she was trying to do do

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said: “Following the cancellation of the Padstow Christmas Market, we received complaints from a number of traders about possible fraudulent activity.

“After carrying out inquiries into this matter, specialist officers have found no evidence of any fraud or wrongdoing in these circumstances by the organiser. Any dispute over the money paid will be a civil matter.”

Those affected by the losses say they are disappointed by the outcome, but some will still pursue legal action. Others have been able to recover their lost deposits through their business insurance. But not all can do so due to different policy terms and conditions, leaving others out of pocket.

One told CornwallLive they were also concerned that a company associated with the event, The Padstow Christmas Festival LTD, applied to be delisted from Companies House in early June. Traders said they were concerned it could affect their ability to launch civil proceedings.

The company’s director said, however, that he had already received written confirmation that it was being dissolved, adding that there was no money in the company even if people filed a civil case. She said this was a dormant company that was set up to protect the Padstow Christmas Festival name as she was unable to market the name.

A second company set up for the event, with Tina Evans listed as a director, called Padstow Events Limited, has not applied to be struck off, but Tina Evans has confirmed that it too will eventually be wound up.

Ms Evans, director of both companies, said: “I have now been investigated by the fraud team and Barclays Bank’s fraud team and have been cleared by both. As far as I know, and I am the only director, there has been no attempt on my part to remove Padstow Events Ltd from Companies House.

“However, there is no money in the company, so I’m afraid the civil action will do no good. Once again I apologize unreservedly for the cancellation of the festival, but I made the right decision at the right time to put up with it. loss”.

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