A seven year old's creativity has earned him pride of place with a design featured on the programme cover for the 2025 Ilkeston Charter Fair.
Freddie entered a competition run by the Mayor of Erewash, Cllr Harry Atkinson, in which entrants were encouraged to depict the fun and history of the Fair, magical sounds, thrilling rides, family involvement and most importantly children having fun.
Freddie’s mum shared that he was super excited when he found out his design had won – stating that he couldn’t believe it. The Charter Fair is meaningful to this Ilkeston family since they always go every year.
Like many families in Ilkeston, it is like a tradition to them and they love it.
Now, Freddie will get to be part of the opening of one of Ilkeston’s proudest traditions. As the competition winner, the St. Thomas student was given the honour of ringing the bells with the Mayor and other Civic Dignitaries to mark the start of what is the 773rd Annual Charter Fair – which has been extended to include the Sunday as of 2025.
Mayor, Councillor Harry Atkinson said: “Congratulations Freddie! Your entry stood out with your dynamic use of colours and the way you captured the atmosphere of the fair. You can clearly see what a happy and vibrant occasion it is. I look forward to opening this year’s Charter Fair with you on Thursday 16th October.”
This year’s Fair kicked off at 6pm on Wednesday 15th October, with the additional day opening at 1pm on Sunday 19th October and then ending the fair at 8pm. The final day will still have all the rides ’and will include a quiet time with no lights or music from 1pm to 3pm to create an inclusive and accessible environment for all visitors.
The town centre will be closed to traffic during the fair. A full list of affected roads is available on the borough council’s temporary road closures page.
Fair goers are being encouraged to take public transport where possible.
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