Organisers scrap spring craft fair at Blickling
Richard BatsonA long-running spring craft fair at north Norfolk's flagship stately home has been scrapped after stallholders shunned an earlier than normal date.Richard Batson
A long-running spring craft fair at north Norfolk's flagship stately home has been scrapped after stallholders shunned an earlier than normal date.
The popular event was traditionally held at Blickling Hall over Easter but was switched to the end of March
this year. However, the uptake on from standholders was slow, so it had been cancelled, said a spokesman for organisers Eastern Events.
The company, which began at Blickling 16 years ago, had expanded to five major craft fairs across the country, from Cambridgeshire to Derbyshire.
Spokesman Charlotte Wootten said they were disappointed at having to cancel the spring event at Blickling as it was "an old friend". But they were still promoting the Magic of Christmas weekend there, and had not ruled out returning with an earlier craft show.
The 120-stand Easter event they were now preparing for Hyde End in Buckinghamshire was bigger than the 80-stand Blickling one.
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Aylsham-based Eastern Events had been splitting itself between Hyde End and Blickling over Easter during the past four years, but had decided to concentrate on the larger fair. Efforts to re-arrange the Blickling fair for March 27-29 had not come off.
The problem with the Blickling one had been the early date.
"I am sure the weather from last year at that time - when we had snow - put some people off," said Mrs Wootten.
Eastern Events also ran a craft weekend at Felbrigg Hall for a decade, but had not done so for a couple of years because it had been linked to
a car rally which was also weather dependent.
