The arrival of the Tall Ships Race in the summer of 2023 to Falmouth was widely seen as a major opportunity for the town. As one of the councillors representing the host ward, Zoe became closely involved in preparations, expecting the event to be both a celebration for residents and a success for the Council.
Both of Zoe’s grandfathers were naval heroes in the WWI and her parents served during WWII. Growing up, sailing became an important part of her life, including taking part in a Tall Ships Race herself. When Falmouth was selected to host the 2023 Tall Ships Race, departing from the Arwenack ward she represented, Zoe enthusiastically voted with the Council to underwrite the event in case of any mishaps, and joined the planning meetings for the event to bring her experience to bear, ensuring the public money would not need to be spent and representing concerns and questions raised by her affected ward.
All seemed to be going well, but clearly she missed the warning signs because when it came to the opening day at Falmouth Docks in August 2023, she witnessed dangerously chaotic mismanagement of crowds, timed ticketing and public safety on the quay and even on the Tall Ships themselves.
At the end of the first day, Zoe raised a number of questions about what she had witnessed, including:
Why was the event safety plan not followed?
Why did Falmouth Town Council have to underwrite lost ticket sales income to the tune of £100,000?
Why was Mark Williams, Event Gold Command for Safety, not present on site?
WhatsApp Correspondence
Read from left to right. These WhatsApp messages were exchanged over the course of the opening afternoon of the Tall Ships Race between Zoe and Event Gold Command, Mark Williams, as concerns about crowd management and safety emerged.
Contemporary Press Coverage
This newspaper article was published shortly after the opening day of the Tall Ships Race and provides contemporary reporting of the event and the concerns raised at the time.
Visitor Testimony
As ward councillor, Zoe received feedback directly from residents and visitors affected by the event. This Facebook Messenger message describes one disabled visitor’s experience of accessibility, communication and support during the opening day of the Tall Ships Race.
Rather than prompting a wider discussion about the issues raised during the event, Zoe says the focus increasingly shifted towards her role in raising those concerns. Over the following months, what began as questions about the organisation of Tall Ships developed into a series of challenges to her conduct, reputation and integrity, both within the Council and in the local press.
Code of Conduct Complaints
Following the Tall Ships Race, a number of Code of Conduct complaints were made concerning Zoe’s comments and behaviour. This email forms part of the correspondence relating to those complaints.
Public Commentary
The complaints related in part to comments Zoe made on Falmouth Town Council’s public Facebook page following the event. These screenshots provide the context of those comments.
The Tall Ships Race marked the beginning of a lengthy series of Code of Conduct complaints, correspondence and investigations. Rather than summarise that material here, it has been presented as a separate chapter with the original documents and supporting evidence.