THE group behind the Wylam Summer Fair is appealing for volunteers to keep it going.

The popular event, which sees hundreds flock to the village, will not go ahead this year due to a lack of organisers.

The fair has been a staple in the Tyne Valley events calendar for many years and sees the Jubilee Field flooded with activity.

Proceeds go towards maintaining and developing the field.

"Wylam Community Playing Fields Association will be 50-years-old next year", a statement said. "But at a time when we should be preparing to celebrate, we are worried about the ongoing management of our organisation.

"We are short of people who can contribute towards the running of the Association, even in some small way. Because of this, we have had to take the very difficult and painful decision that we do not have the resources to organise the summer fair this year.

"This is the associations’ main fund-raising event and after two years stagnation in fundraising due to Covid, to have a third year in a row may set about an irreversible decline.

"The Jubilee Field is one of our village’s most valuable assets. It is of huge benefit to the whole community to have the field run by the village for the village. By managing it in this way, we have access to charitable funding benefits; we can decide on what facilities we want to provide and we avoid the huge overhead of management fees. To lose this would be to the detriment of the whole village.

"It is not just about the summer fair and its central role in the village calendar. The Jubilee Field provides football for around 200 Wylam Rockets children and is home to Wylam Cricket Club’s men’s and junior teams. Many visitors come to enjoy our playground facilities and lovely, open space and in turn, support our village businesses.

"We only need about half a dozen people to come forward to ensure the continued existence of the association. The more the better, of course, but there are jobs that can be split to involve anyone of any age, no matter how little time they may have to spare.

"We can say, hand on heart, that the enjoyment we get from contributing to the village, we all love to live in, is immense."

Anyone interested in volunteering can contact the association via email (wylamplayingfield@gmail.com) or on Facebook.