Petition calls for the end of Appleby Horse Fair

The Appleby Horse Fair is a divisive issue, with many supporters believing it’s beneficial for cultural and historical reasons, and it brings with it trade via tourists and visitors.

Appleby Fair Communities Group (AFCG) which launched the petition, complain that it results in high costs for various measures and clean-up, crime, safety, and pollution.

Another is the market field, where various goods are traded, but which AFCG said has ‘become a nuisance market’ with illegal activity.

At the fair this year, Trading Standards confiscated counterfeit goods totalling a value of £500,000.

A spokesperson from AFCG said: “People want to disassociate from this event, as it has moved away from its traditional routes it has become something we are not proud of.

“It is promoted as something it clearly is not"

“The event we see today bears no resemblance to the event envisaged by Lord Lonsdale in 1911 when he gave Fair Hill to the town to be used for this event.”

They’re also concerned about animal cruelty, and this year a horse died due to being overworked.

However Paul Greaves, who owns the Facebook group 'Appleby Horse Fair Keep it Alive', which has over 56,000 members, believes it's a great event and needs to be preserved.

He said at this year's fair it's a 'brilliant place for everybody, children and adults alike', and said the fair is 'a learning place and a meeting place'.

"You usually find that the people that are doing that are people that have never, ever been here.

"They don't know it, don't know gypsies, don't know travellers, and I think are scared of change.

"You'll be amazed. You'll see that it's different."

AFCG's aim is to lobby Appleby Town Council to act, citing their responsibility over the Fair Hill which is leased out for use during the fair. 

The hill is used by many visitors as a place to park mobile homes and caravans, and features food stalls every year, making it extremely difficult to gather legally.

AFCG said their petition Is organised in such a way that individual copies are sent to the council, resulting in numerous complaints, rather than one petition with several signatures which would count as one complaint.

They asked concerned people to add their names and email addresses to a Google Form which explained the concerns and said within the first 24 hours, 184 complaints were sent.

Most went to Westmorland and Furness Council, various others went to Appleby Town, Long Marton Parish, and Warcop Parish councils.

Appleby Town Council said it’s aware of the petition and will respond to individual complaints.

Paul Greaves at this year's fair (Image: Ollie Rawlinson)

Chair of the Multi-Agency Strategic Coordinating Group (MASCG), and Westmorland and Furness Council’s director for thriving places, Steph Cordon, explained the group is formed of various bodies, and is not responsible for the organisation or management of the fair.

Its role, Ms Cordon said, is 'to manage their statutory dutieis and to do so in an open and collaborative way'.

"The costs associated with doing this are borne by those agencies with the statutory responsibility for delivery," she said.

The decision to not publish the event's costs anymore was because the information wasn't available at the time of publication, Ms Cordon said, adding the council is currently investigating ways to disaggregate the costs for the fair.

MASCG 'notes that Trading Standards officers' seized the bootleg goods and were a potential health risk to the public, and safety is important to MASCG, Ms Cordon said, citing improvement works already completed on Long Marton Road.

On issues residents may have with the fair, she said: “Residents and visitors were encouraged to contact the Community Action Group to report any issues or concerns relating to this year’s Fair by telephone, or by completing an online form.

"All reports received this way were triaged to and dealt with by the appropriate agencies as quickly as possible.

"An online feedback form is also available at www.applebyfair.org

“People will have a further opportunity to provide feedback on the 2024 Fair at the Post-Fair Public Meeting, hosted by representatives from the MASCG, which will be held at Appleby Public Hall on Wednesday, June 26, between 7pm and 8.30pm.”