Raveningham Country Fair

Saturday 30th August, 2014  

11.00 – 23.00

Traditional threshing fair with steam engines, vintage machinery, classic  vehicles, craft stalls, working horses, sheepdog and duck display, birds of prey, live bands, clowns, flying model planes, dance displays, tea tent, beer tent and much more.  

Signposted from the B1136 between Loddon and Haddiscoe.  Full details on www.ravfair.co.uk

Admission: Adults £5, under 16 free.  All proceeds in aid of local charities

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History

The Fair was started in 1976 as the Raveningham Threshing Fair (see photos below) and its purpose was to raise funds for the Raveningham Group of Churches. The centre point of every fair was the steam engine and threshing machine; other rural crafts and displays where also shown, including cutting the straw with a old binder, old tractors and stationary engines. After the 25th year the name was changed to encompass the evolving face of the event, and it is now the Raveningham Country Fair (though still referred to by many affectionately as the threshing fair). The Fair still raises money for the Raveningham Group of Churches as well as a number of local charities and good causes. 2013 will be the 37th year a fair has been held in Raveningham and it is becoming one of the longest established events on the Norfolk/Suffolk border.

The Fair takes place on the first Saturday after the August Bank Holiday in the Raveningham area. We are kindly offered the use of a stubble field by a local farmer or Sir Nicholas Bacon at Raveningham Hall.

The organising committee is a very dedicated group of people from all walks of life. They meet each month in Norton Chapel or the Queen’s Head in Thurlton and put the Fair together on paper hoping that all will work well on the day. An enormous number of local individuals and charity groups contribute their time and effort but help is always welcome and we would be delighted to have new people on the committee.

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The Aims

We support local charities including Scouts, pre schools, first schools, village halls sports associations and children’s playgrounds.

In return for help from these organisations, we donate a proportion of the takings of the fair to them.

After the 2012 Fair, we distributed nearly £4,000 shared between the following organisations:

Burgh St Peter Scouts
Hales Hornets Hockey Club
Loddon Scouts
Norton Chapel
Raveningham Group of Churches
Raveningham area Frolic
Thurlton Pre-School
Thurlton Primary School
Norton, Thurlton & Thorpe Village Hall
Thurlton area Youth Club
European Rural Youth Exchange

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