Recap updates as large crowd turned up for 'cancelled' Wickham Horse Fair
and live on Freeview channel 276
Wickham Horse Fair has been officially cancelled this year due to ‘current Covid restrictions’.
However despite the cancellation a number of people and horse boxes turned up in Wickham this morning.
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Hide AdROMANSE tweeted earlier: ‘Bridge Street & The Square from A334 Winchester Rd is CLOSED in BOTH DIRECTIONS due to crowd control.’
The road has now reopened, according to our reporter at the scene.
Pictures from Wickham this morning show large crowds and a number of horses in the village.
There was a strong police presence with 30 officers and dozens of vehicles in the area.
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We had a reporter down at the scene and they brought you all the updates throughout the morning and the afternoon.
Recap all our updates in our blog below.
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Recap updates from Wickham Horse Fair
Key Events
- Wickham Horse Fair had been cancelled due to Covid restrictions
- Large crowds turned up including a number of horses
‘It could have been a lot better’
John Smith has come down to the fair with a group of friends to trade horses.
He said: ‘It could have been a lot better with the circumstances. There’s not been enough stuff here - obviously it would have been better with more horses.
‘But it’s still worth coming - you can still make a profit.’
His friend quipped: ‘You can make half a million here.’
Mess is ‘a lot better than what it would normally be'
Kevin Cuell, a special maintenance worker from Winchester City Council, has cleaned up the rubbish left behind after the annual fair for 14 years.
Today’s event hasn’t been as messy as previous events, he says: ‘Normally it’s heaving with mess. It’s a lot better than what it would normally be. But there is still a lot of horse mess to clean up.’
Chippie has 300 orders in less than 4 hours
The Fisheries in The Square has done a good day’s trade with more than 300 orders in less than four hours.
Owner Julie Jones, (r) pictured with her mother Karen Underwood and her niece Iona Taylor, said: ‘it’s been really weird.
‘We weren’t expecting anyone. But it’s been brilliant - people have kept coming and coming. Everyone has been really patient. It was a good turn out for us.’