Urgent plea as future of Egremont Crab Fair hangs in balance

An urgent plea has been issued as the future of Egremont Crab Fair is in doubt.

Over 750 years of history could be lost forever if people do not come forward to join the committee, organisers have warned.

COVID-19 and the death of Queen Elizabeth has seen the 756-year-old fair cancelled for the last three years – putting the event into financial difficulty.

Committee chairman Callum Scott said: “A number of committee members have resigned for personal reasons. A lot of members are getting older and they don’t have the time to be part of the planning now, so we’ve gone from 20 members to around eight or 10.

“We need 10 new people to join our committee and if people don’t come forward, there won’t be a Crab Fair on this year.”

Callum added that without the support of a full committee, planning the event would prove extremely difficult.

He said: “It is a worry that people won’t come forward, it has gone on for 756 years and we don’t want it to stop, but unless we get people to join the committee, it will be nearly impossible to put on the show we are used to putting on.”

Planning for the Crab Fair normally takes 12 months and committee meetings start in January.

But this year, with lower committee numbers, the first meeting is only just about to take place next week, leaving only seven months to fully plan the event.

After last year’s Crab Fair was cancelled due to the death of Queen Elizabeth, the committee has also had to pay £10,000 to cover the non-refundable deposits for acts, vendors and the street closures – which Callum said they have yet to recover from.

He added that fundraising is also yet to start this year due to the lack of committee members and meetings.

Callum said: “We don’t want to scare people, we will put something on even if it’s much smaller than normal. We just want to get the word out that there will not be a Crab Fair without the people to run it.”

Committee meetings take place once a month in The Laal Club in Egremont on Wednesday nights at around seven o’clock.

The team covers everything from entertainment and vendor booking to licensing and performance and overall programme planning.

Callum said: “Crab Fair is a mix of modern and old now, we’d like to see younger generations bringing new and fresh ideas forward for what they want to see

“Anyone can join, I’ve been part of the committee since I was 12 years old as a junior member. We welcome anyone, whether you can give two hours on the day or more, it’s all voluntary and very rewarding.

Those interested in joining the committee are urged to contact Callum on 07519 413231 via text message or phone call.