Appleby Horse Fair kicks off: Tradition that continues to divide

With the sun set to shine over the Eden Valley, the annual Appleby Horse Fair, which preserves heritage and is over 200 years old, will run from June 7 to June 14. 

Whilst the event transforms an often quiet town into a vibrant tapestry of colour, sound, and equine spectacle packed full of longstanding traditions, the Fair continues to come under scrutiny with issues of crime, traffic congestion, safety concerns, economic cost/impact as well as animal concerns being raised yearly. 

Equine traditions capture the attention of visitors and Fair-goers (Image: PA)

Ahead of this year, a survey collected local opinions, with 85 per cent of local respondents saying the Fair 'impacts their life negatively'. 

53 per cent of business owners, including pubs, said they shut up shop during the Fair, according to the Appleby Fair Communities Group. 

The group said it recognises the cultural importance of the event, however they would prefer it went back to a smaller scale, 'less commercialised' event going back to more traditional values. 

Young members of the community help to keep longstanding traditions alive (Image: PA)

This year, Westmorland & Furness Council have also licenced a bar with a capacity of almost 5,000 people at Salt Tip corner - which has raised further concerns amongst some Appleby residents, some of whom complained that they felt the council hadn't been transparent in alerting those living near the site.

A spokesperson from Westmorland & Furness Council said: "The council received no representations during the statutory 28-day consultation period for the application and a premises licence was issued, in accordance with the Licensing Act 2003."

Appleby Fair attendees pitch up ahead of the event (Image: PA)

Whilst there is no formal organiser of the Fair, the Multi-Agency Strategic Co-ordinating Group (MASCG) was established in 2008 to ensure all the relevant agencies worked together, sharing skills and knowledge to 'support the Fair in a safe manner'.

Last year, there was a 38 per cent rise in arrests due to a 'step-up in proactive' enforcement by Cumbria Police.

An evaluation report also revealed that the RSPCA 'were pleased' that the number of people attempting to sell puppies was down significantly. 

Andie McPherson, campaigns manager at Redwings and co-ordinator of the Appleby Horse Fair Equine Welfare Project also said 'welfare improvements' had been made over the years. 

Billy Welch, Gypsy and Traveller representative to MASCG, said to the Travellers Times after last year's event: "Gypsies and Travelers organisations organise the whole thing. 

"We pay for the lease on the field, for liability cover, for policing, for skips and roll-on, roll-off containers, pay for the toilets and for men to work on the hill as security and when it is all over, we pay to clean it all up and leave the place exactly as we found it.

"In fact, I believe it even makes a small profit for Appleby Town Council!" he said.