Saltash May Fair 2017

Aim

Saltash May Fair is evolving into the biggest and best community event in South East Cornwall. Please help to reach our fundraising total!

The Saltash May Fair is an annual event that provides charities and community groups with opportunities to fundraise, raise awareness, and recruit volunteers, whilst also bringing together the community in a fun and fantastic day. We aim to give new and local musicians, acting groups, and other performing artists the opportunity to perform on professional staging in front of a large audience. This year is also the first time that we've included a national writing competition - The Saltash Short Story Competition - and have re-introduced a grand raffle. 

The event is organised and run by a small committee. We are a small not-for-profit organisation. We enjoy giving up our own time to make sure that Saltash, and the surrounding area, has an annual event that it can continue to be proud of. This is an event that people have travelled from as far as Liverpool, perhaps even further, to enjoy, and we want to continue to encourage more people to visit Cornwall for the Saltash May Fair.

Unfortunately, we cannot rely on stall bookings alone to generate enough income to present a successful event. We need to gather income from various sources and we are hoping that you will pledge to donate money to make sure that this year's event is the biggest and the best event in South East Cornwall. 

We have already recieved sponsorship and funding from various compassionate organisations, businesses, and individuals. Unfortunately, despite all of these kind donations, we haven't yet reached our fundraising total. We need another £500 to help us to breakeven. This will help to pay for entertainment acts and various much needed services that are required in the running of a successful event.

 History of the Saltash May Fair:

Saltash May Fair is the annual event put on for the people of Saltash. To aim at celebrating the community, businesses and organisations of the town.

The Fair is committee run by volunteers recruited locally. They endeavour to, in the first instance, promote all things local. Participants from outside of Saltash are welcome too. This is a separate committee from other events held in Saltash.

In common with many ancient English fairs, the origin of the Saltash Annual Fair is lost in the midst of time. Bartholomew Fair (pictured below), which was held on August 24th, was more than seven centuries old when it was discontinued. The earliest Fairs were formed for the convenience of pilgrims gathered about the walls of Abbeys, Churches and Cathedrals on the festivals of the saints to whom they were dedicated.

The first Saltash Fair was held on July 25th, St James Day, though no record exists of any local dedication to that particular saint. Booths were erected in the Fore Street, and its duration, usually three days, was indicated by the fingers of a glove upon a stick, thrust from one of the Guildhall windows.

We know that the "First Revival" of the annual fair was held in 1930, the second was a year later, and the third was in 1938. Held on August 24th, the 1938 programme cost 6D and was compiled by Lieut-Colonel W.P. Drury C.B.E., Royal Marines. The front cover showed a drawing of Mary Newman's Cottage and proclaimed that the "Ancient Fayre and Civic Customs" were in aid of the restoration of the Roof of the Norman Church.

The fair was halted by the Second World War, and the "Fourth Revival" was planned during Queen Elizabeth's Jubilee Year as the Queen exhorted all to foster a spirit of togetherness. Members of the Saltash Chamber of Commerce met with representatives of the Town Council and it was decided to revive the fair and pageant in 1978 and to make it an annual event, and to continue the spirit of Jubilee Year.

The events title changed from "Saltash Fair and Pageant" to just "Saltash Fair", until the title "Saltash May Fair" was first used on the front cover of the programme in 1988.

This project successfully funded on 21st April 2017