The Showman's Guild of Great Britain has organised National Funfair Week running at over 200 funfairs across the UK to increase awareness about the work and lives of travelling showmen in order to raise the profile of the funfair.

Exhibitions and promotions will be on display at fairs throughout the week, and showfolk will be available to discuss their work.

'The great British tradition of the funfair is currently under threat from developers, town reorganisers and planners, who deny the fairs and their operators town centre locations to open in,' says Showman's Guild spokesman, Desmond FitzGerald.

'Part of the objective of National Funfair Week is that, through greater understanding by the general public of the life and work of the showfolk as business people, there can be greater confidence in the industry and greater participation at events.'

The Showman's Guild says that between March and November more than 200 fairs are put on each week and it has arranged coverage of National Funfair Week in local and regional press as well as in the national press and on the BBC, ITV and Channel 5. Keith Miller, general secretary of the Showman's Guild, said: 'The public need to feel reassured about the status of the operators and to acknowledge that the fairs are theirs to cherish in the community.

'Further benefits will be greater confidence from the business community to work with and invest in the marketing opportunities that the funfairs represent; in this way they can rationally compete with other more corporate and united forms of entertainment.' Details: [email protected]