Lavenham Christmas Fair cancelled due to uncertainty caused by coronavirus pandemic

Uncertainty over the long-term impact of the coronavirus outbreak has forced event organisers to cancel this year’s Christmas fair in Lavenham.

Without knowing how long the crisis will last, plans for the three-day spectacle in December have had to be placed on ice.

Carole Holland, who serves on the organising committee, said: “It was not without a great deal of deliberation that the decision to cancel the 2020 event was made and, with no certainty that life will be back to normal by Christmas, we firmly believe it to be the correct one.”

Recognising that the annual showpiece helps to support local traders, the committee said ensuring the community’s health and safety was paramount.

Mrs Holland said: “We understand that many small, independent businesses will be disappointed as they have come to rely on the Christmas fair to carry them through the festive season and into Easter, but we have a responsibility to Lavenham and its community over and above the fair and, so, in conclusion, it was considered to be irresponsible to go ahead with the event this year.”

While the showpiece has been cancelled, there have been talks of hosting an alternative event on a much smaller scale in the village to mark the festive holiday.

“It might be a good way of bringing the community together for Christmas,” said fellow committee member Lesley Thompson.

Last year, a rise in costs combined with a shortage of volunteers put the future of the event in jeopardy, which prompted an outpouring of support from the community to help reinstate the popular spectacle.

Expressing optimism that the annual showpiece would return next year, Mrs Holland said: “Hopefully, we will be back in 2021 with new vigour when the situation has passed and we can celebrate Christmas in Lavenham again.”