THE annual funfair in Barnard Castle will be closely monitored when it comes to town on Whit weekend after complaints last year.
Those who attended said they were not impressed by the types of rides on offer and those that were there were too expensive.
The visit of the fair coincides with Barnard Castle Meet.
Barnard Castle Meet committee trustee John Emerson told the town council’s partnerships committee that some residents were leaving the town before Whit weekend because of the inconvenience the funfair causes by taking up the entire public car park adjacent to Morrisons.
He said the Meet was run separately to the funfair and it took place through an agreement between the fair’s operator and Durham County Council.
He added: “We did get a bit of flak about the car park last year – the price of the amusements and there were very few amusements there.”
Mr Emerson told members he had been in touch with the fun fair owner who had said improvements would be made this year. He added: “I have said some of the pricing on that fair was ridiculous for what was there and they have taken that on board.
“We are looking at it – if there are any problems this year, as the Meet, we will make representations to the county council about it.”
After last year’s visit, traders in the town described the funfair as “a waste of time” with between 60 and 80 car parking spaces unnecessarily cordoned off during Barnard Castle’s busiest weekend.
At the time, Alex Crow, of operators Crow Leisure Group, conceded it had been a quieter year, with a number of attractions elsewhere.
He said he would like to fill the full car park with rides and attractions when the fair returns this year.
Meanwhile, Mr Emerson revealed that this year’s event would be on the theme of “History Through The Ages” , and the Northern Dales Richard III Society would be involved to coincide with the 550th anniversary of the monarch’s association with the town.
The Meet committee has only seven members, but it attracts the support of more than 60 volunteers and aims to become a registered charity.
![A COUNTY councillor is backing a campaign to get a pedestrian crossing in Staindrop. Frustrated parish councillors in the village summoned their county council representative Cllr George Richardson to their latest meeting to discuss several issues, including the call for a safe way to cross the A688. Earlier this year their request for a crossing was turned down by the county council’s highways officers. Parish council chairman Jonothan Raper described the reasons for the refusal as “spurious” and called on Cllr Richardson to support their campaign. He added: “One of the arguments they made was there is no clear line of desire when they studied the village – well this isn’t a clear line of desire because there isn’t a crossing, people cross whenever they can. “When the lollipop person was there, one of the things I noticed was people would walk all the way down to the lollipop person to cross the road to go to the shop or to go to the school.” He added a problem of parking at the primary school is exacerbated because people are too afraid to walk their children across the road. Cllr Richardson said he had supported previous attempts for a crossing point with the first being made about 15 years ago. He added: “We went fairly well down the road with that and they looked into it. The only recommended place was where the bus stop is and to get the visibility splays, people on the other side of the road would lose their parking. “That didn’t go down well so it just died a death.” Cllr Raper said he suspected the real reason for the officers’ refusal was the cost of installing a crossing. He added that much of the cost could be recovered from savings made on not having to employ a lollipop patrol. Cllr Raper said: “A lollipop person only provides a benefit of crossing for three hours of the day. You are getting 21 extra hours of crossing time [with a pedestrian crossing].” Cllr Richardson said he would raise the issue with the county council’s cabinet member for highways, Cllr John Shuttleworth.](https://teesdalemercury.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/georgeR-120x86.jpg)
