People should not miss the opportunity of seeing the “best traditional horse drawn vardos in the world” at Appleby Horse Fair this weekend, says the King of the Gypsies.
Shera Rom Billy Welch, 61, said the traditional once-a-year gathering, which has been taking place on Appleby’s Fair Hill for hundreds of years, had been going really well this year.
He praised the police, along with the multi-agency strategic co-ordinating group, for having done a “brilliant job”.
“It’s been going like clockwork – everything has flowed just as we wanted it to – we like it when a plan comes together,” said Billy.
He added: “I would advise anybody from the settled community, local residents, please don’t miss this opportunity, come up onto Fair Hill and enjoy it with us.
“It’s like stepping back in time when you see the old horse drawn wagons and things. It’s such a romantic place. It’s like a museum. Everybody’s welcome,” he said.
For Gypsies and Travellers, Billy said Appleby was “unique on planet Earth”. “There is nothing else like it,” he said.
“It’s the most important date in the gypsy and traveller calendar and culturally it is the most important place. This is literally our Jerusalem,” said Billy.
“When we are here and we are sitting around the campfires, we get a sense of place, a sense of belonging, a sense of ancestry, and for one week we feel like we are home.
“It’s so culturally important for our children and grandchildren, that they don’t forget it, and they understand it,” said Billy.
Following interruptions by the COVID pandemic last August, Billy said it felt “half like it was back”, but it was the wrong time of the year. There was still coronavirus around, they were still being cautious and couldn’t put their guard down.
“But this year we feel like things have gone back to normal and it does make you appreciate how precious normality is.
“This fair is like a typical old Appleby Horse Fair. I’m enjoying it,” said Billy.
