Save the Patcham Duck Fayre 2025

You may think we are ‘Quackers’ but we need your help!

The Patcham Duck Fayre is in danger unless we raise more funds to run the event in 2025.

Prices have gone up and our income has gone down!! We (all volunteers!) have the enthusiasm to run the Fayre but not the cash. If you are able to help in any way, please donate to our fund today.

This is our 5th year of running the revived Patcham Duck Fayre and our reputation as a free, family orientated, fun filled community event is spreading across Brighton and beyond.

Each year our volunteers aim to make enough money to cover the following

year’s costs, but this year the price to hire essential equipment, pay for services, insurance, and supplies have risen and we will not have enough funds to run the event in 2025 unless we receive more financial help.

The 2024 fayre cost around £12,000 to put on but the grants, sponsorship and stallholders fees, as well as the collection on the day only came to around £8,500. This used up almost all of the money we had saved from previous years, so we don't have very much to put towards next year's running costs. From January 2025 we will need to pay deposits on equipment (marquees, stage and portaloos) and to secure some of the much loved entertainment. Therefore we need to raise some funds now.

It is an essential part of the Patcham Duck Fayre that it is free to come in. There are a number of free high quality activities particularly for children such as the circus skills ring and the entertainment tent. These make the event both accessible and enjoyable to all. It is possible to come to the Patcham Duck Fayre and have a lovely day out, without spending any money, if you bring a picnic and stick to the free entertainment. However, there are also the fairground rides, food traders, beer tent and charity & craft stalls catering for all budgets, for those with money to spend.

Patcham Duck Fayre History

Back in August 2018 a Patcham Facebook post asked the simple question ‘Who remembers the Duck Fayre?’ and within a matter of days over 100 people replied with fond childhood memories of kiddy rides on the Elms forecourt, the smell of candyfloss and BBQs, brass bands and the long wooden slide that used to run down the road opposite the Scout hut! So we began work on forming a committee and bringing Patcham Duck Fayre back in May 2019.

The committee – formed in September 2018 worked so hard to ensure the day was success - we tried to keep the ‘vintage-style’ approach but with a modern twist. We worked for months to secure sponsors, fundraising events, design a 32 page brochure that went out to 5,000 homes locally, posters, banners and so much more to make sure everyone knew about the fayre! We are truly grateful to the lovely people of Patcham and beyond who turned out in their thousands on May 19th 2019 to support the revival of the fayre.

After being forced to cancel 2020's fayre due to Covid19 we were pleased to return in 2021. We moved the fayre to August and to Patcham Junior and High School fields to allow for plenty of spacing for social distancing. The fayre now features over 70 stalls, funfair rides, food and drink traders, a dog show and live stage performances. The fayre has been a huge success with thousands of visitors every year.

We want to say a big thank you to the Patcham 44th Scout group who started the event way back in the 1990’s and for giving us their blessing for the revival of the Fayre. Nobody is quite sure why the Patcham Scouts called their local fete a Duck Fayre? Rumour has it ducks from the pond on the green outside All Saints Church used to wander down Church Hill into the village and be chased back up the hill with brooms.

Please give whatever you can to ensure the Fayre runs next year.