THE decision to move a popular charity event out of Chepstow has been met with mixed reactions from some town traders.

Last week it was revealed that Hoggin’ the Bridge would be moving from Chepstow Racecourse and into Caldicot Castle for this year’s event on October 8.

The ride will still see hundreds of bikers descending on the town during its tour through the area but it will be the first time in 16 years that the event’s festival will be held elsewhere.

The move has left several traders in Chepstow, including Dave Foxford-Brown, apprehensive about the effect it will have on the town as a whole.

The owner and manager of the Coach and Horses pub on Welsh Street, said: “Being one of the last pubs on Welsh Street before the racecourse we found people would stop here before heading down to the main event.

“It feels like we’ve lost the title. At least when it was held at the racecourse it was still a part of Chepstow.

“We still have so much to offer. Small businesses in general need Chepstow to do well and events like this helped to do just that.”

For Jon Durran, owner of the White Lion pub at the top of High Street, having the event in the town centre would help alleviate the “sparse” trade felt in Chepstow, which he described as a “weekend town”.

The success of the event while it used the High Street as its rallying point led to the pub starting an offshoot event called Hoggin’ the Lion, which offered live entertainment and refreshments for bikers and spectators.

“The major thing for us was how they went about it, when they moved it from the town up to the racecourse and the numbers began to decline” he said.

“You found that a lot of the bikers liked having it in Chepstow town centre as they felt it was unique.”

Speaking last week, Hoggin’ the Bridge committee member Aaron Reeks said the move would offer a “more attractive prospect” for traders and businesses from all over Monmouthshire.

“We’re encouraging businesses from all over to take part, the castle offers us more flexibility than what we once had,” he said.

“It allows us to bring in who we want, and in particular more businesses for our stalls.”