Corby Pole Fair 2022 - How was the money spent

Corby’s once-every-twenty-year Pole Fair saw thousands flock to the village to enjoy the festivities but how much did it all cost?

The organisers have answered their critics by posting a Pole Fair FAQs page on their website.

Held earlier this month (June 3) the Pole Fair 2022 had an overall budget of £210,500 available in order to make it all happen.

The budget came from a variety of sources including: National Lottery Heritage Fund (£158,000), Made With Many funds from Arts Council England (£20,500), National Lottery Community Fund (£10,000), North Northamptonshire Council (£5,000), Corby Town Council (£2,000), and earned income including sponsorship (£15,000).

Previous grants from the National Lottery Heritage Fund have paid for the restoration of the Pole Fair archive and the production of an education pack that was provided to local schools free of charge earlier in the year.

The costs for the entire project were divided up as follows: pre-Pole Fair engagement activities (6.5 per cent), heritage activities (13.2 per cent), arts activities (3.1 per cent), community activities (2.3 per cent), event management and production staff (16.8 per cent), infrastructure (17.3 per cent), security (12.3 per cent), marketing, programme and branding (6.5 per cent), insurance (1.8 per cent), film, photography and archiving (11.8 per cent), legacy projects (3.4 per cent), and contingency (five per cent).

Infrastructure costs, such as security, toilets and site cleaning, were calculated on official advice from professional bodies for events of this size.

Many of these elements incurred additional costs as it was organised for the busy Jubilee bank holiday weekend.

As per funding regulations, three competitive quotes were gained for all contracts worth more than £10,000. Each of the grants received came with guidelines as to what the funds could and could not be spent on, so there was little ‘wiggle room’ in the budget.

On the day ‘sales’ came to a total of £16,196.

Any unspent funds from grants, including the contingency, will have to be returned to the funders.

The balance of the earned and sales income will be used for future heritage events for the town, including leaving a legacy fund for whoever organises the 2042 Pole Fair.

All information and figures were sourced from the Made With Many Pole Fair FAQs page.