Goose Fair ‘killed by city’s low jab rate’
SHOWMEN BLAME VACCINATION FIGURES
ALTHOUGH Goose Fair has been axed for a second year, the 2021 Hull Fair – two hours down the road – will go ahead.
And one of the reasons, according to the Showmen’s Guild, is the low take-up of the Covid vaccine among some age groups in Nottingham.
On Friday, Nottingham City Council announced that the annual fair – which attracts 450,000 people over five days – would not being going ahead due to a range of issues, including Covid infection rates remaining high, national guidance and advice from experts in public health and event planning.
The announcement came after the Showmen’s Guild refused to allow a fence around the site – with an admission charge to cover the cost – if the Government imposed Covid passports for large-scale events.
William Percival, chairman of the Nottinghamshire branch of the Showmen’s Guild, said: “When the leader made a statement saying there would be no fence and no charge we thought obviously we were on our way but the next thing knocked us for six.
“When statistics tell you that less than half the people in Nottingham have had an injection and the centres are there for people to get their injections there’s not really a lot you can argue about.”
The latest figures reveal that nearly half of Nottingham’s young people have not received their first Covid-19 vaccination jab.
The city has the third lowest percentage in the country of 18 to 29-year-olds (50.6 percent) who have had the first dose.
Data for the number of vaccinated adults of all ages in Nottingham shows that the inner city area has the lowest take-up.
Radford has the lowest percentage of people who have received their first dose (42.2 percent) and also has the least second doses (26.4 percent).
“Regarding the fencing and the charge that was never going to happen and it never will happen as far as the showmen are concerned.
“It’s just unfortunately Nottingham seems to have one of the highest rates in the country of not taking the injections up and all I can say is if the people of Nottingham want these events to happen, go and get your jab,” said Mr Percival.
“At the end of the day we want to be safe as well as the public wants to be safe and the only other system around it would never have worked of people having to prove they’ve had the injection and maybe flow tests.”
Mr Percival said the showmen “didn’t hang about” getting their vaccinations since they’re back in business with fairs all over the country.
“Hull Fair is going ahead, Ilkeston Fair is going ahead, Ripley Fair is going ahead, Oxford Fair is next week.
“All the major fairs we have at this time of year are going ahead at the moment – there’s some big fairs in London but they’re not faced with the low take-up of vaccinations.
“Nottingham at the moment is the only fair that’s not going ahead.
“I know some people don’t want the injection and they might have a valid reason why they don’t want to, but why they should spoil the fun for everybody else I don’t know.
“At the end of the day Goose Fair is one of the major fairs of the year. “We are very disappointed by it. “We were looking forward to it because we thought we’d got a way round it.”
Councillor David Mellen, leader of the city council, said it had been a difficult decision to cancel the event for a second year.
He added: “The event is enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people of all ages every year and is an important part of Nottingham’s cultural calendar.
“We know this will be disappointing for very many people but we think it’s the safest thing to do.
“Residents’ health and public safety have to come first.
“In line with advice received from the Safety Advisory Group for Events and national guidance, we had looked at other options in discussion with the Guild, including measures to control attendance, but these weren’t agreed as feasible due to the nature and traditional of the event and the site. “There are around 100,000 visitors each day to Goose Fair and in a city with high Covid cases and lower rates of vaccination at the current time, we have to base decisions on public safety. “There have been numerous factors involved and we have also been mindful that Government advice could change at any point.” Hull Fair has been given the green light to go ahead from October 8 to October 16 even though the city has the highest Covid rate in the country with more than 625 weekly cases per 100,000 of the population.
If the people of Nottingham want these events to happen, go and get your jab William Percival, Showmen’s Guild