CHIPPENHAM Folk Festival is vowing to make its 27th street fair bigger and better.

Each year at the end of May, the festival draws thousands into the town, many just to enjoy the free music, dancing and fair in the High Street.

The street fair, which brings a range of arts, crafts, goods, jewellery, clothing, organic food and other items of interest from as near as Chippenham and as far as Tibet, has complemented the folk festival for 26 of its 43 years and has been run by the Rotary Club of Wiltshire Vale.

But now the club no longer feel able to run the event, it has fallen back in the lap of the folk festival organising committee.

Bob Berry, 59, has been organising the whole festival with his wife Gill for 10 years, and running the concert side since 1992.

He said: “The folk festival originally set up the street fair but it became a bit too big to handle and the Rotary took it on.

“We want to ensure that it continues as both the public and traders alike look forward to the day."

He is looking to extend the fair, which takes place in two weeks time, May 22-25, and would like to double the number of stalls, currently about 15.

Mr Berry said: “There are already street markets in the High Street on the Friday and Saturday so it is important that our street fair is different. We will show a preference to traders that have reduced road miles, are artisan and craftsman based, organic and ethically produced.

“We are looking for something unusual, not some bloke selling mobile phone covers, but something appropriate for an English folk festival.”

In a bid to work with High Street businesses, the street fair will no longer have any cooked food outlets, instead concentrating on a more eclectic range of goods. But uncooked local farmers’ produce would be particularly welcomed.

Organisers will be making more use of Market Place this year, leaving more of the High Street for the usual popular mix of street entertainment, including the grand parade that goes along the length of the town centre at 2pm.

Aside from its long history, the fair is also a welcome revenue stream for the folk festival.

“The Buttercross Inn is the first pub to give me money to support the festival in nine years,” said Mr Berry.

This year’s festival will have 232 events, including Nancy Kerr, Folk Singer of the Year in the BBC Folk Awards 2015, who will be singing with James Fagan and his parents, making a trip from Australia.

Application forms to join the fair can be found at www.chippfolk.co.uk or by leaving a message on the answer phone at (01249) 657190.

Festival tickets cost £110 for adults and £55 for youths, with day tickets also available online.