Latest news with #GypsyCommunity
Daily Mail
08-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Travellers charge down streets at death-defying speed on carriages at Appleby Horse Fair while police put on show of force as thousands gather at Europe's biggest Gypsy festival
Travellers charged down country lanes on carriages at Appleby Horse Fair as thousands more visitors descended on Cumbria for Europe's biggest Gypsy festival. About 10,000 people from the Gypsy and traveller community are expected to attend this year's gathering in Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria, along with 30,000 visitors between June 6 and 12. On Sunday, spectators lined the streets as they watched travellers, including children, race down narrow lanes at death-defying speeds, while others were seen riding horses through the water. The official Appleby Horse Fair social media shared footage of horses charging down the lanes, writing: 'If you're planning to visit Appleby today, please be on the alert for fast-moving horses, especially around the Flashing Lane. 'Stay out of the carriageway as horses move at speed and cannot be quickly stopped if something or someone steps into their way.' Over the weekend, footage has also emerged of a van going up in flames and police putting on a show of force as they patrolled the fair and investigated market traders. The blaze on Saturday afternoon was captured on social media and showed huge crowds gathering as the Ford Transit van and nearby tents were engulfed in flames while thick plumes of smoke billowed across the fair. Police and fire crews were called to the scene just after 11.40am, with officers extinguishing the fire. However, on Sunday, Cumbria Police confirmed the cause of the fire is not being treated as suspicious and nobody was injured. In separate footage, at least seven officers were seen investigating stalls at the fair. Cumrbia Police officers were supporting Westmorland and Furness Council Trading Standards, who last year seized more than £500,000 worth of counterfeit goods. That included 2,500 pairs of sunglasses and nearly 200 bottles of perfume with counterfeit Cartier, Fendi, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Dior trademarks. Trading Standards have this year again asked traders to check their goods are genuine. Footage showed officers scouring through stalls and then walking off with plastic bags full of goods. It comes as thousands of gypsies descended on the horse fair in Cumbria on Sunday despite the rain for another day of revelry. The fair sees the 3,000 population of Appleby-in-Westmorland swell by a factor of 10 as visitors swarm to the annual event. Of those, an estimated 10,000 are from the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) community. Visitors could be seen dressed in their finery and wrapped up in waterproof coats and donning wellies. In its 250-year history the fair has only been cancelled twice, the first in 2001 during the foot and mouth outbreak and the second in 2020 due to the pandemic. The gathering is billed as the biggest traditional gypsy fair in Europe and has developed traditions that take place every year. Gypsy horses are washed in the River Eden in Appleby and trotted up and down the 'Flashing Lane' - a closed-off rural road - before being haggled over and bought. Families and even children hopped on their ponies and horses to trot down the lane, showing off the animals while others watched on from the side of the road. Visitors couldn't be put off by the rain and ran their carriages around the site as puddles formed and onlookers got soaked. Many donned practical outfits having clearly noted the weather forecast beforehand but others chose flashier ensembles including crop tops, mini skirts, shirts and vests. The market Jimmy Winter's Field includes stalls selling everything from fashion to horse-related wares. The fair is held outside the town of Appleby, at the point where the old Roman Road crosses Long Marton Road, on Gallows Hill, which was named after the public hangings that were once carried out there. It was once thought the fair originated from a royal charter to the borough of Appleby from King James II of England in 1685, although more recent research has found the charter was cancelled before it was ever enacted. The gathering is sometimes known as 'the New Fair' because Appleby's medieval borough fair, held at Whitsuntide, ceased in 1885. The 'New Fair' began in 1775 for sheep and cattle drovers and horse dealers to sell their stock. By the 1900s it had evolved into a major Gypsy/Traveller event which brought families from across the UK and Europe.
BBC News
06-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Plans for rejected Appleby horse sculpture resubmitted
Plans for a sculpture to celebrate a town's links to the Gypsy and traveller community have been submitted again after being rejected. In April, Westmorland and Furness Council refused a planning application for a stallion statue on the River Eden in Appleby, Cumbria, to celebrate the town's role in hosting the annual horse fair - a big event in the traveller community interest firm Drive 2 Survive, which is behind the statue, has amended its proposal, with the artwork now planned for Salt Tip Corner, opposite the entrance to Roman firm said it hoped the sculpture, which would be 7ft (2m) tall on top of a concrete plinth, would be "visible and celebrated". Previous plans for the sculpture were rejected by the council following backlash by locals over the "impact of the sculpture's symbolic presence on community cohesion, emotional comfort and the shared use of the site", according to the council.A report prepared by council planning officers said those plans received 163 letters of support, 72 objections and 21 observation new plans are currently in consultation. 'Celebrate Gypsy community' According to an artist's statement submitted with the application, the team has chosen the new location because it is where the most expensive horses are bought and sold for cash during the fair. It said the sculpture was intended to make the contribution of the Gypsy and traveller community to Appleby "visible, permanent and celebrated".It said when the fair was not on, there was "little tangible evidence" of the event in the town. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
07-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Court order blocks expansion of Cambridge caravan park after fire
Court order bans more caravans at site of fire 9 minutes ago Share Save Joanna Taylor BBC News, Cambridgeshire Share Save JOHN SUTTON A fire broke out at The Laurels caravan park in Cambridge last month A court order banning more caravans and mobile homes being added to a site has been put in place after several were destroyed by a fire. The blaze spread to 11 caravans as well as stables, outbuildings and vehicles at The Laurels in Fen Road on the outskirts of Cambridge on 20 April. South Cambridgeshire District Council said The Laurels only had planning permission for seven pitches. The High Court injunction was obtained on Friday, a spokesperson said, and adding more caravans would pose a "public safety risk". The council said planning permission was granted specifically for seven pitches to be used by people from the Gypsy and traveller communities. "However, the green belt site has been used recently for a much greater number of caravans - some of which were being used by people who are not from the Gypsy and traveller community," they said. "As well as breaking planning rules, the potential replacement of the unauthorised caravans would again pose a significant fire risk." JOANNE ASHMAN About 45 firefighters responded to the blaze in Fen Road last month The authority, which shares its planning services with Cambridge City Council, said it was "assessing the most appropriate approach" for the units that remain at the site, but that it was illegal to add more. South Cambridgeshire District Council's lead member for housing, Liberal Democract John Batchelor, said the council "continues to offer free advice and support to people displaced from the site" after the fire. He said council staff "always assess whether anyone facing homelessness needs a place to stay for a short time". The injunction runs until 1 May 2026. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
