FORMER mayor Andy Hutton says he welcomes the return of Goose Fair – but admits he hopes the event gets a makeover.

Cllr Hutton, mayor at the time the fair was binned for the second year running, had voted in favour of the event going ahead last year, but town councillors decided 7-5 in favour of it being shelved.

The town council made it clear they had not been happy to take that action and Cllr Hutton had made it equally clear that the fair’s cancellation was purely a temporary measure and would come back.

He welcomed council plans to put on the fair this October, but said he hoped it would offer visitors a more ‘upmarket’ experience.

Cllr Hutton, who was keen on a more ‘sophisticated’ event, said: ‘I am delighted that Goose Fair is coming back, but I would hope it would come back with more upmarket offers.

‘It’s been very clear that because of the success of the Miss Ivy Events that Tavistock quite likes street food, so I would hope that we would perhaps have only a few burger bars and more street vendors. I am certainly going to be there and I will thoroughly enjoy it.’

Town councillors and staff are already working on plans for this year’s event. Some members of the council, last year, said they would like to see the fair tweaked to become a more community-based event.

The annual fair dates back to the early 12th Century, when a Michaelmas Fair held every September 29th provided the opportunity for business and animal trading, and was a social event for wives and daughters.

The name Goose Fair probably came about as farmers brought their geese ready for fattening for Christmas, and the only other Goose Fair, in Nottingham, has a similar connection.