After stepping down from the town council over its “appalling” treatment of a long-standing family business, one woman has launched a petition to put a halt to the council’s plans.

Fletcher’s Funfair has hosted events at Silloth Fairground for 56 years, with three generations running the site over the decades.

But despite the family’s longstanding efforts to provide the area with joy, Silloth Town Council has put the site out to tender – meaning another applicant could take over the funfair.

Joyce Fletcher, who took over Fletcher’s Funfair after her husband, Rayner, passed away four years ago, said the council’s decision is “unbelievable”, and has thrown the future of the family business into danger.

“We’re so worried that everything my husband Rayner, his dad and his granddad worked so hard for could just be destroyed,” she said.

“Even through Covid we kept the funfair going, and if we can’t set up at Silloth in the summer holidays, it really will destroy business.

“We’ve always looked after the site, and we’ve never done anything wrong or to upset anybody, so for the council to do this, it’s heartbreaking.”

Former Silloth Town Councillor, Jackie McCormick, stepped down from her role after the decision was made to put the site out to tender, branding the council’s move “appalling”.

Ms McCormick has now set up a petition to prevent the family from losing out after decades of hard work.

“At this moment in time, councils should be trying to help local businesses, especially ones that have been part of the community for so long,” she said.

“The town council has done lots for the town in the past, but this particular situation right now is just wrong, and I just wanted to get my point across with this petition.”

She continued: “The Fletchers have done so much for the town over the years, and it seems like some people on the council now are really digging their heels in with the tender, when they should instead be trying to help support the business.”

A spokesperson for Silloth Town Council responded to the backlash of the decision, saying the council is under financial pressures, and to maintain the high standards of various spaces within the town, such as Silloth Green, it needs to "achieve the best value for money for the ratepayers of Silloth".

They continued: "All Town Councillors are unpaid volunteers, unlike Allerdale and County Councillors, who willingly give their time to represent the town because they are committed to their local community.

"In 2012, as part of the lease with Allerdale Borough Council, the town council started to receive income from the ice cream concessions and fairground site to cover some of the considerable costs involved in maintaining the Green and its facilities.

"The ice cream concessions on the seafront go out to tender each year.

"In 2019, after numerous requests from various other residents and vendors regarding the option of tendering for the land on the seafront, the council discussed this and agreed that we would consider it the following year.

"Mrs Fletcher from Fletcher’s Amusements was notified in December 2019 that the council had agreed for her to use the land at the seafront during the 2020 season, and also confirmed that the council would be looking to put the land out to tender the following year.

"At the Town Council meeting on February 1, all councillors present, with the exception of one, agreed for it to go out to tender.

"The land has now been advertised as a fairground site and is open for any interested parties to submit a tender, including Fletchers Amusements who have had use of the site for many years."

The council has received a lot of interest since the tender was published, and a decision will be made by the Full Council on March 8.

To find out more about the petition, visit www.change.org/p/silloth-town-council-stop-silloth-town-council-removing-fletchers-funfair-after-56-years-in-silloth.