Memorandum by Mr John Graham (Travelling
Showman) (TF 25)
Further to your notice in The Worlds Fair requesting
observations regarding an enquiry into travelling fairs, may I
be allowed to express the following.
The tradition of the travelling fairs has been
a way of life for thousands of showmen and their families and
the practice of handing down the business from one generation
to another has gone on for hundreds of years.
It must also be realised that this is a multi-million
pound business with spin-offs to national companies such as Calor
Gas, Nestle, Walls, Catering suppliers, Ride Manufacturers. Electrical
Contractors, Engineering Contractors, not to mention the thousands
of workers regularly employed by the Industry.
Any suggestion to discontinue the travelling
fun-fair would be disastrous.
And what is to become of all the showmen and
their families? Although they are a very industrious crowd, travelling
fairs are all they know and I can visualise tremendous problems
in trying to solve the situation by adapting to another way of
life.
And perhaps attention should be drawn to their
equipment and their living trailers. A substantial amount of hard
work and pride together with goods that have been handed down
have been built up over the years accumulating in some very prized
possessions. The value would be too great to even consider compensation.
And then there's Joe Public! It may be surprising
to learn that over the years and a return visit to previous fairs,
everyone is on first name terms with the local inhabitants and
the help and cooperation from all concerned has to be seen to
be believed. The friendship is mutual and lasts a lifetime.
However, I will not deny that we suffer the
occasional hiccup, but even that is dealt with quietly and diplomatically.
This is part of our teaching because we know how important is
the quality of cooperation.
And the appeal of the fairs is everlasting.
Compare the Millenium Dome and the revolving eye with the fair
running the length of the Mall to Buckingham Palace and also Tower
Bridge and the Embankment. There is no comparison!
Where else could you stroll with your family
and enjoy the immaculate decor and brilliant lighting effects
from the rides mentioned above. And free of charge. If you want
to spend a few bob on the rides, that is your prerogative, but
you don't have to.
It is no secret that fairground sites are becoming
more difficult to find, but I find it difficult to understand
why our local authorities do not take a leaf out of the Continental
Countries where in practically every town and city they allow
their showmen to erect their fairs in the Squares of the town
centres.
I know that this may raise a few eyebrows, but
it is not as far-fetched as it may seem, with practically every
town sporting pedestrianisation this would be ideal for allowing
the fairs to be erected there. On the continent the local authority
supplies the electricity and water and charges the showmen accordingly.
Any bollards or other obstructions could be removed and then re-instated
after the fair is over. Any damage to surfaces would be rectified
and charged for.
Consider the financial gain to the businesses
in the vicinity of the fair. Visitors from far and wide would
be enthralled by the novelty of a "Street Fair". One
only need look at the existing street fairs like Oxford, Hull,
Nottingham, Salisbury, Hereford, and Stratford, to name but a
few. The organisation in setting out these fairs, watching the
showmen going quietly about their business, erecting and dismantling
the mass of machines and equipment virtually overnight is an education
in itself. And it seems that these venues were deemed to be so
important that a Royal Charter was granted by the Monarch of the
day and the Charter cannot be taken away once it has been granted.
I have treated this matter with the urgency
required, but would add here that what I have had to say is only
the tip of the ice-berg. My conversations with fellow showmen
have led to a number of suggestions to improve their way of life
and at the same time provide a system that will avoid any confrontation
or inconvenience to the local authorities or the public.
Among the suggestions they voiced was the establishment
of sites whereby they could operate under strict rules perhaps
once or twice a year, with a fair and reasonable rent agreed mutually.
Provision would have to be made for separate
parking facilities for their Living Vans not too far away from
the fairground site. Services such as water and electricity and
sanitary arrangements would need to be considered.
An additional requirement would be small sites
situated in "out of town" areas where equipment not
in operation could be accommodated. This would have no effect
in placing the established winter sites in jeopardy.
These points are but a few, but time is of the
essence.
John Graham
February 2000
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