Shropshire councillors Viv Parry, Tracey Huffer, Richard Huffer and Andy Boddington are calling for Ludlow Town Council to rethink its decision on Friday (13 May) to rule out Ludlow’s May Fair going ahead this spring.
The May Fair is part of our town’s DNA. It attracts a wide range of people from Ludlow and its hinterland. Especially those who don’t find the Green Festival, Food Festival and the Fringe Festival their scene. Especially young people who we tend to forget have also suffered during lockdown.
We believe greater effort should have been made, and can still be made, to run the May Fair this year. It may need a different location for one year only. We have no objection to that although it was ruled out at Ludlow Town Council’s last meeting.
Tracey Huffer is Shropshire Councillor for Ludlow East and chair of the Ludlow Youth Partnership. She says:
“We have rightly heard a lot about the problems facing older people during the pandemic.
“I know from my professional and councillor work that younger people have also been hit hard during the pandemic. They may not have suffered from the disease itself. But the shutdown of social activities, not being able to meet friends and being unable to talk to their mentors face to face has had an impact on the mental health and wellbeing for many young people.
“We have reopened the schools with no impact on local Covid rates. We should press ahead with the May Fair.”
Vivienne Parry, Shropshire Councillor for Ludlow South adds:
“The May Fair was cancelled last year. The council should have been planning to secure an alternative site for one of Ludlow’s most important festivals long ago. Although there is some talk of holding the fair in September, operators are booked up many months in advance. If the fair had been held at the beginning or end of May, it would have been over a bank holiday. There are no bank holidays in September.”
Richard Huffer, Shropshire Councillor for Clee, says:
“The May Fair is important to people who live in the villages as well as in Ludlow town. Not much happens for young people in many of our rural villages. They deserve some entertainment.”
Andy Boddington, Shropshire Councillor for Ludlow North, which includes the town centre, says:
“The Ludlow May Fair is part of the DNA of the town. Young people want a sense of normality. They want some fun. And they deserve some after more than a year of restrictions. Fairs are going ahead all around the country. We are calling on the town council to have an urgent rethink. We want the people in town who don’t attend events like the Green Fair, Fringe Festival to have some fun.”
Well done Councillors. Hope you have success.
So far there are 84 positive comments on Facebook demanding the Fair coming to town.
If it’s not possible at the end of May, why not move to the August bank holiday weekend. Not aware of any festivals that weekend?
Ludlow needs to provide something for the young at heart from children to us oldies who love the fair coming to town.
Ludlow’s traditions aren’t just about the crumbling castle and over-priced goods at the food festivals. This is about incomers who don’t want the tradition of having The Cage outside their house for a few days a year. We had a fair in my new town of Evesham that weekend (another long-standing Ludlow tradition is of young locals having to move away to make a life for themselves while retired incomers move in to up house prices so the remaining locals are unable to get on the housing ladder) so why couldn’t Ludlow?
What a load of rubbish, why don’t the Ludlow town council just say they don’t want it in the town any more, also the people who live in the town especially the people who have moved into Ludlow from the city don’t want it. The children love the fair.
Also how come Leominster can have there May Fair? and that’s in the town. It’s a kick in the teeth for the showman.
I’m an ‘incomer’ from a big city. During the May Fair, rides are right outside my house. I love it. It’s been here far longer than I have and it’s a major part of what makes Ludlow special. I hope the May Fair can take place at some point this year.