MOST communities have known traditional events which have faded since their heyday, with crowds dwindling year on year and the event itself shrinking to a shadow of its former glory.

There will be many reasons why such events go into decline, but ultimately it is up to the community itself to ensure their survival and allow them to move with the times rather than become a relic of the past, looked back on fondly.

Richmond Meet parade could easily become one of those events, as numbers of those taking part and of spectators have undeniably fallen since the 1980s and 1990s.

The Meet committee is pushing for a resurgence of the whole weekend, with plans to enhance the family activities already on offer, and to push the cycling aspect of the Bank Holiday Weekend, which is how the event started 125 years ago.

And now one local man has taken it upon himself to give the parade a new lease of life by fundraising and spreading the word around town that more needs to be done in order to keep the event going for future generations.

It is true that some in the town do not like the Meet weekend – due to the large crowds drawn in to sample the fair which creates more noise and litter – but it would be sad for the generations who have enjoyed the weekend in the past, and who will in the future, if it were to come to an end.

Anthony Monarch, who used to love watching the parade as a child, thinks Richmond residents need to pull together to ensure its survival.

He said: “I want to get people involved so it remains a major part of the community social calendar. If we don’t want it to become a thing of the past we can’t be complacent about it.”