Ilkeston Charter Fair officially opens for 769th year

Councillor Donna Briggs, the Mayor of Erewash, rang a bell to open the fair

A historic street fair has officially opened for its 769th year.

The opening ceremony of llkeston Charter Fair, in Derbyshire, took place earlier and included the reading of the original 1252 charter before the Mayor of Erewash rang a bell.

In 2020, it was cancelled for the first time since wartime over Covid concerns.

Carol Hart, leader of Erewash Borough Council, said the ceremony was "wonderful" and she was "so, so pleased" the fair was going ahead.

Carol Hart, leader of Erewash Borough Council, said: "It really is a magnificent event"

Ms Hart added the opening ceremony, which took place in front of Ilkeston Town Hall, also gave "a warm welcome" back to event organisers the Showmen's Guild.

"We had blue skies and sunshine and I was delighted to see so many people joining us," she said.

"We know thousands of people will flock to soak up this atmosphere and enjoy the rides and stalls over the next three days.

"We ask everyone to enjoy it safely, we've worked hard with our partners to make it happen so enjoy!"

The annual fair, which the council said is one of the oldest and largest street fairs in Europe, is due to run until Saturday

Ms Hart said the decision to go ahead with the event had not been "taken lightly because Covid is still around of course".

"But I think with all the provisions and safety measures we've put in place, it is the right decision to go ahead," she said.

This year's Nottingham Goose Fair was cancelled for a second year in a row due to "concerns and uncertainty" over Covid - although a bell was rung to officially open the event despite it not going ahead.

James Mellors, from the Showmen's Guild, said the cancellation had been "a tragedy" but llkeston's fair was "very important to the showmen and also to the community".

"We will get lot of people who will visit us from Nottingham," he said.

"This fair is an unusual fair because it is throughout the streets and a street fair has another atmosphere to it."

James Mellors said Ilkeston Charter Fair was an important community event