A LEADING councillor has revealed how Tavistock’s iconic Goose Fair is getting a post-covid makeover.

The centuries-old fair, one of only two of its kind in the country, was binned for two years by town councillors because of fears the event could help spread Covid-19.

Councillors have always insisted the event would come back despite the two hiccups in its 1,000-year history.

And deputy mayor James Ellis, reporting on a ‘positive’ meeting with joint partners West Devon Borough Council, described how the fair, held on the second Wednesday in October, would be back with a raft of tweaks.

Cllr Ellis made it clear that the ‘burger van’ culture, which in the minds of some residents has cheapened the fair, was being diluted, to the tune of 50 per cent less of them.

And items like ‘drugs’ paraphenalia - bhongs and similar apparatus — plus the sale of BB guns, were not being tolerated at all.

Meanwhile, there would be a bar and live music and seating where people could ‘rest and take in the atmosphere’.

The fair, he said, would be far more sustainable, with a water hub where visitors could refill their reusuable water bottles and recycling bins.

Cllr Ellis said more than 20 traders had already expressed an interest in being part of the event, although the one disappointment so far was that local businesses had not so far agreed to be a part of the new-look fair. He added: ‘There’s much more planned, but it takes a lot of hard work.’

Some councillors had observed, when the fair was suspended last year, that Tavistock residents either supported the fair or did not like it. The event regularly attracts thousands of visitors from outside the town.

Cllr Ellis, a supporter of the fair, said: ‘It takes me back to when I was a young boy and many locals will remember it as a rite of passage when they were allowed out with their mates for the first time without supervision.’

He added: ‘The fair will continue to evolve, but it takes hard work, dedication and a change of attitudes to make it happen.’

The event dates from the 12th century and was originally held on September 29. Geese and other animals were traded. The only other similar event in the UK is at Nottingham.

A change in the calender in 1752 meant the fair was moved to October because of the ‘loss’ of 11 days in the year.

Councillors reluctantly narrowly voted to shelve the event last year because of uncertainties over the spread of the pandemic, despite the relaxation of anti-Covid safety regulations.

Those concerns were fuelled by the staging of events such as Boardmasters in Newquay, which was blamed for a sudden spike in cases.

Despite fears among some residents that the event would not return, councillors always insisted it would.