Appleby Horse Fair: Ticket-only entry to Gypsy gathering proposed

Appleby sees a huge influx of people during the fair - both travellers and sightseers

One of Europe's biggest annual gatherings of Gypsies and travellers could become a ticketed event if proposals get the go ahead.

The legality and practicality of charging for entry to Appleby Horse Fair, which has been free for centuries, is being explored.

It follows a public meeting where ideas for limiting numbers at the summer gathering in Cumbria were discussed.

It could see travellers paying to attend and wearing wristbands.

Consultants have been hired by Eden District Council and its partner agencies to examine if the fair can become more "organised", with access to parts of the small market town restricted.

In June, Appleby (population circa 3,000) saw an estimated influx of 30,000 people for the gathering which traditionally serves as an opportunity for horse trading.

It is not the first time the issue of tickets has been raised.

In September last year, it was proposed entry should be ticketed - in order to make the event self-funding - with a suggestion of travellers and tourists paying £25 per head.

Fresh discussions are at an early stage so there are no details on tickets or the potential price, although the revival of the idea has met with opposition from some Gypsies.

Crowds gather on the riverside during the fair to watch horses being washed

Lena McAllister, from Carlisle, is part of the Scottish Gypsy Community and goes to the fair every year.

She said that as wheelchair user she was concerned any plans to move it could make it less accessible people with disabilities.

"I agree with a bit more organisation but I don't agree with the idea of it being ticketed," she said.

"Why should a community have to pay to celebrate their culture at an event that's been going on for generations and hundreds of years?"

But Troy Lee, landlord of the Royal Oak in Appleby, is supportive of change.

He shuts his pub during the fair because parking outside is closed off - costing him tens of thousands in lost revenue.

"I think it is a place to ticket and limit numbers within reason, depending on what the infrastructure can handle and the council have to assess what that is," he said.

The fair is a multi-generational event for Gypsies and travellers

Appleby councillor Andrew Connell said: "I know it happens in Gay Pride in Manchester or in Edinburgh at Hogmanay, and I think the difference is that in a big city you can enclose an area and people can go around it.

"But you can't go around anything in Appleby and there's only one bridge and only one way through the town."

A spokesperson for the fair's Strategic Coordination Group (which includes local councils and representatives of Gypsy and traveller groups) said it had commissioned a research agency "to produce an independent report into the legalities of ticketing Appleby Horse Fair, which will be undertaken without preconceptions".

They added: "At this time we would not wish to pre-judge any findings which may come from that report."

The consultation will also examine the issue of safe-stopping sites for those travelling to the fair, many of whom make their way over long distances on horse-drawn transport.

Thousands of people camp at the Appleby site during the annual festival