Popular Morecambe funfair moves on after just two weeks

The owner of a longstanding funfair which is located on Morecambe prom each summer says he has been told to move to make way for other events.
Taylor's Funfair moving off the site in Morecambe on Monday.Taylor's Funfair moving off the site in Morecambe on Monday.
Taylor's Funfair moving off the site in Morecambe on Monday.

David Taylor has been bringing Taylor’s Funfair to the former Bubbles site for the last 15 years.

He said it has usually remained on site for the full six weeks of the school holidays, except for a few days around the date of Morecambe Carnival.

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But this year, Mr Taylor said he was asked by the city council to leave the site permanently, and he therefore moved all equipment on Monday.

He said: “We were originally told that we wouldn’t be affected by the carnival but then we were told to take the fairground down.

“We put in an application for the site for the school holidays and were told we had to take it down until after the August bank holiday.

“The last two years we have only had to take it down for the carnival week.

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“We have been coming here for a long time now so we don’t think it’s fair. We’ve only been up for two weeks; they are putting us out of business.”

Coun Jean Parr, cabinet member with responsibility for arts, leisure, culture and tourism, said: “The Bay and Festival Arenas are always in great demand with event organisers booking this popular section of Morecambe Promenade for a diverse range of public events for people to enjoy throughout the summer holidays.

“The Kite Festival, Morecambe Music Festival, Steampunk event, Armed Forces Day and Morecambe Pride are just a few of the events visitors and residents have already enjoyed and we still have Morecambe Carnival and Vintage by the Sea to look forward to.

“It is entirely wrong to say that Mr Taylor has been instructed to remove his funfair permanently and, in fact, he will be involved in the forthcoming Vintage by the Sea Festival which takes place on 31st August and 1st September.

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“In the intervening period another event organiser has booked the land. It is sometimes the case, especially with bigger events, that organisers make direct arrangements with operators if they want to include a funfair attraction.

“In addition, a booking has been agreed with him to bring his funfair to Ryelands Park later this month and we are always pleased to discuss availability of other locations.”

Mr Taylor added: “Our Ryelands Park booking is an annual booking which is entirely separate from from our Morecambe booking; we were due to attend earlier this year but had to re-arrange due to bad weather and rescheduled for this month.

“My dispute is not the longstanding annual events (Morecambe Carnival, Vintage By The Sea); we have attended the carnival since the beginning.

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“The dispute is the weeks between the events that I have had my funfair in Morecambe for many years.

“My booking was retracted by the council after being granted, as they stated ‘This summer, the organisers of the Morecambe Carnival and the Vintage Festival are keen on working together to offer something as a continuation of both events in the week between’.

“We understood that the carnival has control over the two days the carnival is held. We find it very unfair that the in between period has been allowed to be booked for another funfair and that the organiser of this booking is a member of the carnival committee.”