Handful of families keep Wickham Horse Fair tradition alive even though event is cancelled due to coronavirus

The Wickham Horse Fair, held every year on May 20, dates back to 1289 when the royal charter for the fair was issued by King Henry III.

Winchester City Council had previously said the charter would continue to be honoured even after the cancellation of this year’s event due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But some members of the traveller community decided to attend to honour the tradition.

One Hedge End resident, who asked not to be named, attended with her three children and their pony, but she said there were ‘hardly any other people’ in attendance.

She said: ‘We were a bit concerned that (the charter) wouldn’t be honoured.

‘We know there are a lot of people who want to get rid of the horse fair.

‘We didn’t want to upset anyone.

‘There was a large police presence, but they were fine with us being there – they spoke to us from about 30 feet away.

‘We were only there for about 20 minutes.’

The event – which usually features fun fair rides and food stalls – has attracted more than 1,000 visitors in the past, but last year stall holders and attendees reported a marked drop in visitor numbers.

Despite being one of the smallest gatherings in the event’s history, the Hedge End resident said her family’s honouring of the tradition was positive: ‘The kids had a great a day, and we kept the tradition alive.’