A Q&A with the Showmen’s Guild of Great Britain

In this article we find out more about this unique organisation and how it works on behalf of its many members.

Tell us more about your members please

The Showmen’s Guild of Great Britain is the leading trade association for the Fairground and Show Community, with 4,000 members across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Each of these members is, for the most part, a small businessperson with a family of their own, making the whole community number around 20,000 in total.

What sort of attractions does the community run?

Showmen’s Guild members own and operate the fairground attractions and shows that make up the many hundreds of fairgrounds and some circuses and shows across the country, including the historic Charter Fairs; Carnivals; Melas and Festivals.

They also operate at many high-profile national events, like the Grand National, the Derby and the many Winter Wonderlands.

It’s an industry with a long history – what can you tell us about that?  

Travelling fairs were originally intended as open markets for trading purposes, entertainment being initially a secondary but growing feature.

Over the years the entertainment aspect came to prominence and is still widely enjoyed today. As a result, many fairs that have Royal Charters (special permission to operate), have historic associations like:

• ‘Mop’ (Labour force-hiring) fairs e.g., Stratford’s Mop & Runaway Mop
• Agricultural markets such as Nottingham Goose Fair, Bridgwater, St Matthews (formerly a sheep market), and Witney Feast
• ‘Wakes Week’ Fairs when industrial towns took collective holidays, such as Oldham Wakes
• Many fairs were also ‘granted’ by the church as a financial boost and on the only days workers had holiday, for example, Good Friday and Easter is nationally a traditional fair day, as is Shrove Tuesday; what was Whitsun is still a strong fair date in the calendar

Many towns still hold the cherished Royal Charters, working in partnership with the Showmen’s Guild to present the fairs. Individual positions at these fairs are highly sought after.

How do Showmen get the necessary permissions to operate?

They negotiate with the authorities for sites (apart from the Charter Fairs which have their place in history settled) and are responsible for the planning and layout of rides.

Positions at a fair, the physical ground space occupied by rides and attractions, are sublet to travelling Showmen/Showwomen who control or own the rides.

They operate the rides themselves, or with the assistance of attendants or family members. The industry is strongly hierarchical and most participants have family associations with it.

The way they operate is sophisticated and highly regulated by both the Showmen’s Guild (and allied associations) and governmental authorities, including:

• HSE (Health & Safety Executive) & The ADIPS testing Scheme (Amusement Device Inspection Protection Scheme, like a car’s annual MOT)
• The Food Standards Agency
• VOSA (Vehicle and Operator Services Agency) & DVLA (Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency)

In addition, they liaise with local and regional councils and the police forces in their area.

What sort of revenues does the sector generate?

The industry is estimated to be worth £100 million a year, according to the Treasury. Additionally, there is a further £100 million in support industries with a whole wider economy that supports the Fairground and Show industry, including: 

• Ride manufacturers
• Safety-Testing regulation system
• Marketing services and materials
• Food supplies (to sell to the public and for themselves)
• Gas for catering and for domestic use
• Power-generator fuel
• Commercial vehicle driving fuel (and associated extra transport costs)
• Prize-stock (for game stalls)
• Advertising of each fair
• Significant rental income to local authorities for hiring parks

What sort of work does the Showmen’s guild do on behalf of its members?

The work is varied and all-embracing across the industry:

• We collaborate closely with local authorities and the Local Government Association to enable fairs to take place. Fairs comprise a head lessee who is a Showmen’s Guild member and who usually presents fairground attractions themselves along with a number of tenants with their own attractions, who are also (usually) Showmen’s Guild members
• We consult with Section Committees at a regional level and the Central Office do so at an overall national level, including collaborating with the Local Government Association (LGA) https://www.local.gov.uk/ and similar bodies
• We also lobby with government via our Westminster All Party Parliamentary Group on ‘Fairs and Circuses’
• We also sit on the ADSC (The Amusement Devices Safety Council) and ADIPS boards to ensure that all the safety procedures are effected correctly and in accordance with the recommendations of HSE, with whom we have a responsible working relationship
• We administer the regulatory control of the industry through ensuring the agreed internal and external rules of operation of fairs are followed by members and between themselves, with a quasi-judicial procedure (similar to that of the Football Association) to ensure adherence to agreed best practice and with sanctions, where necessary, for non-compliance
• We take an active interest in looking after the mental wellbeing of our members and their 20,000 strong family members at this critical time, following the pandemic. We work at central and regional levels - through our 10 regional Sections - with Mental Health Liaison Officers trained by our sponsored vocational professional resource; they are accredited by both Liverpool John Moores and Anglia Ruskin Universities

Our work does not end with ensuring the public’s safety and our members’ business, physical and mental health; we have to keep a watching brief too on the ‘pulse of the planet’; leading by example and best practice, on reducing our collective carbon footprint. In this we are looking to partner with all our stakeholders; nationally, regionally, and locally; to achieve realistic results, that we can all share.