All over Europe the showwomen and showmen have defied the Corona pandemic in the past months and impressively demonstrated with numerous actions: The millennia-old European fairground culture is alive and well and we will be back! In keeping with the old showmen’s tradition help was offered everywhere and everyone pitched in; whether it was setting up the soup kitchen for those in need or transporting food. Old people’s homes and hospitals were supplied with baked goods and other fairground specialities and aid organisations and fire brigades also benefited from the technology and professional know- how of the showman companies.

In the UK, six showwomen have been causing a stir and attracting media attention with marketing and PR campaigns since autumn 2020. Bernice Wall, Narvenka Noyce, Hayley Danter, Nicola Hill, Joannie Peak and Colleen Roper are the founders of the “Future 4 Fairgrounds” campaign. They have made it their task to inform politicians and the public about the situation of fairgrounds and the consequences of the pandemic for the fairground industry and to raise awareness. For example, in cities where fairgrounds had to be cancelled due to the Corona measures, symbolic carousels were set up and the population was provided with posters and information flyers.

And “Future 4 Fairgrounds” also draws attention to itself through extraordinary PR campaigns. Queen Elizabeth II wrote to the showwoman and co-founder of “Future 4 Fairgrounds” Colleen Roper to thank her for sending her photos of a visit by the young monarch to the famous King’s Lynn Mart in 1953. Collen Rooper’s accompanying letter to the Queen had highlighted the impact of the corona pandemic on the fairground community.

Invitation to ESU Congress 2022
At the invitation of Future 4 Fairgrounds an online meeting was held on 1 June attended for the ESU by Vice President Atze Lubach-Koers and General Secretary Steve Severeyns.

The focus of the discussion was the exchange about the work of the European Showmen’s Union and the impact of the Corona crisis on the fairgrounds and the showmen’s trade in Europe. Following the online meeting Secretary General Steve Severeyns explained: “A major concern of Future 4 Fairgrounds is to maintain awareness of the fairgrounds within society. And here we see a direct link to the UNESCO application of the ESU to protect the living fairground culture as an intangible cultural asset. The UK has not yet ratified the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention, so it is all the more important that campaigns, such as Future 4 Fairgrounds, take action and action to safeguard fairground culture, helping to ensure that the fairground profession continues to be passed down from generation to generation.”

In recognition of their great work over the past months, Atze Lubach-Koers and Steve Severeyns invited the showwomen to the ESU Congress 2022 in Helsinki.

Keyword: Future 4 Fairgrounds
“Celebrating our past, raising awareness for the present and protecting our future” is the motto of Future 4 Fairgrounds. The campaign was launched by six British showwomen in autumn 2020. The slogan is catchy and the message clear: Bernice Wall, Narvenka Noyce, Hayley Danter, Nicola Hill, Joannie Peak and Colleen Roper are committed to the future of fairgrounds. With their actions, the committed showwomen want to inform decision-makers, politicians and the public about the cultural significance of fairgrounds and also draw attention to the challenges that showmen’s businesses have been facing since the beginning of the Corona crisis.

For its public relations work “Future 4 Fairgrounds” relies very successfully on social media such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. All interested parties, whether showmen or fairground fans, are invited to join in and thus support the campaign.

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