Hungerford Extravaganza: is it back to the future?

Organisers want your input to ever-popular annual event

ORGANISERS of this year’s Hungerford Extravaganza are facing an uphill struggle.

However, they remain determined to press ahead with the showcase event, which regularly attracts up to 12,000 visitors to the town in the run-up to Christmas.

Meanwhile, they are appealing to the community for financial and practical help – and new ideas.

The annual spectacle is organised by Hungerford Chamber of Commerce, which last year announced that a major sponsor had pulled out.

Chamber chairman David Small said this week that the provider of the steam engines, which were a regular fixture, has also had to withdraw for personal reasons.

To cap it all, the fairground attractions organiser has called it a day, leaving the chamber team struggling to find a replacement.

Mr Small said: “We do want the event to continue, but we’d appreciate some input from the community.

“For example, some people said they missed the Victorian element last year, so what’s the general opinion?

“What would people like to see? We’re at the planning stage now, so let us know.”

The event is an important one for the town, not just for showcasing local shops, but also for boosting the many charities, schools and societies that benefit from having fundraising stalls.

Thousands of pounds are raised for community organisations each year.

Fundraising for the 2018 Extravaganza will begin in earnest soon and Mr Small said: “We will be delivering letters giving details and we’ll be using [Greenham Trust’s] The Good Exchange for match-funding, like we did last year.”

If you’d like to offer some practical help or just have some ideas for shaping the Extravaganza, Mr Small would like to hear from you.

You can call him on 07713 094759; email david@dagsmall.co.uk or send a letter to 9 Salisbury Road, Hungerford, RG17 OLG.