Bishop's Castle Michaelmas Fair set to make a comeback
One of the biggest events in the south Shropshire calendar will return next year, organisers said today, after they were forced to scrap the 2014 event because of a lack of volunteers.
Bishop's Castle Michaelmas Fair is one of the busiest days of the year for the town, drawing thousands of visitors.
But the 2014 Michaelmas Fair, which should have taken place in September, was cancelled due to a lack of volunteers to organise it.
Organisers said if they did not find more committee members the event may never come back. But now a revitalised committee has announced the 2015 fair will "definitely" be going ahead.
John Lucas, speaking for the Bishop's Castle Michealmas Fair committee, said: "We did not have enough volunteers to run the fair in 2014 but after a break the committee is pleased to welcome some new faces and we will run a fair in 2015.
"Planning will start in earnest in January – however we will be interested in hearing from anyone else who would like to join the committee, or from local organisations who could link into the fair, or entertainers who would like to perform.
"There is a core of dedicated people who make the fair happen, it is the town's largest yearly event and it needs new ideas and more volunteers to keep it going.
"Being part of the organisation is a great way to get involved in the town and meet new people.
"There are no onerous tasks and we would appreciate your help however you are able to give it.
"We can never have too much help so if you can spare a few hours a month or can give us some time on the weekend itself then please contact us."
He said while funding the festival was always a challenge, the main issue was having enough manpower to divide up the tasks.
In 2013 the two-day festival, which always takes place on the third week of September, brought in about 6,000 people with a host of events, entertainment and stalls filling up the town centre.
But with organisers stretched to breaking point and the fair struggling to cover costs, the decision to take a year off to regroup for 2015 was announced in May.
However, by the autumn no on had come forward and Mr Lucas said the future of the fair was looking dire.
The 2015 fair will be on Saturday, September 19.The new committeewill be having its first planning meeting on January 12 at 8pm in the Six Bells pub. Anyone interested in helping out is welcome to attend.
Anyone who wants to be involved can also email info@michaelmasfair.co.uk
