JUST how much damage to Otley Victorian Fayre has been done by the cancellation of last year's event will not be known until the next time it is held. The inability of the police to provide a presence because of the firefighters' dispute at least has given those involved time to take stock of where the event has been going.

As it turned out the prognosis was not good. Crowds had been dwindling in recent years, there were not enough volunteers to organise things and on more than one occasion there had been the threat of the fayre not being held at all. In some quarters it was suggested, not without foundation, that the event had become rather tired and needed some new ideas.

Now Councillor Nigel Francis is conducting a survey among businesses in the town to gauge reaction to options open to them. These include turning the whole affair into a four-day event at the end of November, which would include the switching-on of the Otley Christmas lights (with, hopefully, some lights this year).

The Victorian Fayre is worth saving. It is very much a community event, with schools, businesses and local organisations all joining together for a fun day to brighten the bleak midwinter.

We urge people to respond to the survey. The greater the response, the more likely those involved will be to choose a course of action that will be supported by the majority of townsfolk. The big danger to the future of the fayre is, as it has always been, apathy; the attitude of leaving it to someone else to do.

If the organisers don't get it right this year, then we could see the end of an event that over the years has been enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people; one that has demonstrated over and over again the community-spirited attitude of Otley as a town.

In this modern world, where towns and villages are being swalled up by new developments and are losing their traditional independence, is the demise of the Victorian Fayre something that Otley can really afford to let happen?