A Funfair Adventure in Cyprus Part one

October 1998.

It was getting near the end of another season , we were open in Perth. The weather was turning cold. There were only a couple of bonfire events left before we would pack up for another winter. My wife and I had purchased another larger caravan in the summer due to the kids getting bigger. It was to be modified by myself before we were going to move in, new bathroom, kitchen, heating, interior décor, carpets and three pull out sections to increase the floor space. This caravan had been in storage in a yard in Glasgow awaiting us pulling in for the winter so I could start the renovation. We had sold our old caravan and the new owner was due to receive it shortly. This would mean that we were going to spend a winter in a borrowed touring caravan from my father in law. Not a welcome prospect trying to live in a 6m caravan with only a small gas heater in the winter.

It wasn’t to come to that , a phone call from out of the blue to my wife from one of her friends would see to that. “A” is going back to Cyprus again this winter( he went 3 yrs earlier with a group of showmen from Scotland and England), what do you think she asked me. Well it seemed like a good idea, living in the sun for 4-6 months and possibly earning some money as-well. What about the new caravan? That would just have to wait. One phone call to “A”, a family discussion and it was all decided, we were going to go. The logistics seemed quite simple. We drive the rides down to the Isle of Sheppey were they get loaded onto a ship that sails to Cyprus. On the way the ship stops and picks up other rides from Europe. Then we fly out two weeks later to meet it and off load the equipment. The fairs are all arranged and booked up by “A”s partner (a Cypriot who he worked with in 96) in advance. Because Cyprus was an ex colony many of the laws were the same as in the U.K. So when it came to organising a funfair they just looked at the English procedure and followed that policy. All accommodation was to be in hotels and because it would be off-season the tariff would be at a reduced rate. It seemed quite simple and we were due to leave mid December, just after returning from our previously booked holiday in Benadorm.