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750 YEARS OF FUN

BY CLARE PILLING

12:00 - 16 October 2002

 

Up to 100,000 people are expected to join in the fun at one of Europe's oldest street fairs.. Ilkeston Charter Fair, which is 750 years old, starts tonight at 7pm. To celebrate the historic anniversary - by comparison Nottingham's Goose Fair is only 708 years old - organisers have added an extra day, meaning the event continues until Sunday.

The Mayor of Erewash, Coun George Buckley, will officially open the fair at Ilkeston Market Place tomorrow at noon. Visitors from Ilkeston and further afield are expected at the traditional opening as he reads out the Charter of 1252 which established the fair, and rings bells to mark the event. Ann Stevenson, lead member for leisure at Erewash Borough Council, said: "The Charter Fair's roots go back as far as the medieval period, so it remains a strong part of Ilkeston's history and culture."

The extra day on Sunday has been designated a family fun day. There will be street entertainers in the town centre during the afternoon and a thanksgiving service outside the town hall at 2pm to commemorate the anniversary. The fair will then run until 10pm. Widely regarded as one of the UK's best fairs, the Ilkeston event boasts some of the biggest travelling fairground rides in the country. James Mellors, of Bulwell, has been taking his rides, such as the Magic Mouse, there since 1974.
He said: "We go to Ilkeston Fair every year.
"It's good because it is through the main streets and on the Market Place.
"This means people can go into the bars and the restaurants and use the fair all in the same place.
"Street fairs are brilliant and have a warm atmosphere, even when the weather is cold."
The fair's attractions will range from the Tri Star, a stomach-churning rollercoaster, and the Miami waltzer, to old favourites like the Gallopers carousel and dodgems.

Between 50,000 and 100,000 visitors are expected. The fair will be at Market Place, Bath Street, Pimlico, Club Row, Gregory Street, Extension Street, Queen Street, East Street and South Street. These will be closed until noon on Monday.

If you have any stories to tell about Ilkeston Fair - perhaps a romance spawned on the dodgems, a child lost in the crowd or, maybe, you worked on one of the rides - we would love to hear from you.  - EMAIL US -