Last year the fair was called the “Frost Fair” and was knee deep in snow that fell early in the season.

This year the organisers didn’t want to take any chances so they scaled the event down and held it inside the Gateshead Heritage Centre at St.Mary’s Church.

The problem is they didn’t make it obvious to visitors where the event was actually being held and a lot of people, me included, were walking around the outside of the Sage, where it was held last year, looking for the stalls.

I was asked by a number of people where the event was as they couldn’t find the stalls and I asked the security person on duty and he directed us to the inside of the church.

A beautiful setting for the event and a lot warmer. However I have no doubt that numbers will have been down due to the downscaling and lack of directions for the public.

The Reindeer were a hit again this year, even though they had been cut back to just 3 animals.

The image that Gateshead council used to promote the event on their FaceBook Page did nothing to inspire people either. It looked as if they had got someone with a point and shoot compact to go out to a pen somewhere and grab a quick shot. It was dull and lifeless. Come on Gateshead Council make a bit of an effort! I even tried to supply you with an image you could have used FOC but nobody in the Communications department could do anything as the one person who deals with it was off!

Anyway, below are some shots of the event, let’s hope the Enchanted Parks at Saltwell is a little more inspiring.