Villagers anger as dozens of travellers ignore ban on 750-year-old Wickham Horse Fair with shops, pubs and roads forced to close with police watching on
Crowds of travellers turned up for the illicit event despite it being cancelled as a result of the Covid pandemic
It is the second year in a row that travellers have defied the ban to attend the fair after it was cancelled
Their arrival caused anger among local business owners who said customers were caught up in road closures
The Wickham Horse Fair is a historic event that dates back to 1269 and usually attracts crowds of thousands
3 May 2021
Travellers in Startforth in 2014 - there has been no major trespass since then except at Harmire
APPLEBY Horse Fair will go ahead this year, two months later than the traditional June date to reduce the risk of “ad hoc” gatherings.
The Appleby Horse Fair Multi-Agency Strategic Co-ordinating Group (MASCG) agreed to support the event taking place on August 12, when it met to discuss plans last Wednesday. The revised date is subject to potential changes in Government regulations and recommendations around large events.
Les Clark, chairman of the Appleby Horse Fair MASCG and deputy chief executive for Eden District Council, said: “In reaching this decision the MASCG has had to weigh many factors. It is preferable for everyone involved – local settled people, gypsies and travellers and the local authorities – for Appleby Horse Fair to happen on a set date.
The Gypsy and Travelling community is rejoicing after it has been confirmed the Appleby Horse Fair is to go ahead – though later in the year than normal. Since the fair was cancelled last year, business owners and the community had been worried the event would be cancelled for a second year. The announcement that it will go ahead from Thursday August 12 has seen people welcome the idea as it will help give the town a much-needed financial boost. Appleby Horse Fair was cancelled last year for only the second time in its history (the first was during the 2001 foot and mouth crisis). But the leader of the travelling community, Billy Welch, hopes that most people will have been vaccinated by then, especially those most vulnerable.