Fair and remembrance parade fall victim to Covid
Council set to discuss proposals on town’s major events
LOUGHBOROUGH’S historic 799-year-old fair which attracts thousands is set to be cancelled due to the coronavirus.
And it’s not the only big town event to fall foul of the pandemic as the annual remembrance parade, the panto and the big Christmas lights switch-on event are also in line to be axed.
A spokesperson for Charnwood Borough Council told the Echo: “Loughborough Fair will not be happening in its usual format and there will be no big rides and instead a ceremony will take place to mark the 799th year of the Royal Charter Fair, accompanied by a few children’s rides.
The council says it is looking at alternative ways to celebrate Christmas and mark the annual Loughborough Fair in November as it considers cancelling key events due to the pandemic.
The council added: “The town hall panto Aladdin will be postponed until 2021 and the Loughborough Christmas lights switch-on event in Market Place will be cancelled, replacing it with a Christmas Market. The Christmas lights in Loughborough will still be switched on.”
All three events take months of planning and the council says it needs to make decisions now to focus efforts on alternative celebrations and to avoid incurring costs which cannot be recovered.
The Remembrance Sunday service at the Carillon will go ahead in November but it is proposed to cancel the parade.
The council says that all events will follow the latest guidance on social distancing.
A report about the proposals is being considered by the council’s cabinet on August 13.
Coun Jenny Bokor, lead member for Loughborough, said: “Cabinet papers are not usually fun but I have to say this is about the least fun cabinet paper I have ever had to present to colleagues, but as many people have said ‘these are unprecedented times’.
“We need to make a decision now so we can focus on what we can do to celebrate Christmas and Loughborough Fair and make sure we are still able to properly and safely honour those who gave their lives to protect our country.
“By November and December, town centre events are going to need to be carefully managed and we cannot say what social distancing measures will be in place by then. Looking after people’s health and wellbeing is paramount.
“We recognise the importance of Christmas to local businesses and that’s why we will be looking at other ways to encourage people into the town centre in a safer and more manageable way.
“We are disappointed to be moving the pantomime to next year but as there is so much uncertainty about how theatres can operate in the coming months, it is necessary. We hope we can find other uses for the town hall in the coming months.”
More detail is contained the cabinet report which can be found on the council website: https://bit. ly/3fkgVrE