A POPULAR village airshow has been saved following a campaign.

The display staged at the popular Pirton summer fair came under scrutiny by committee members who were looking at axing it from the event.

It has been part of the fair, held at Pirton Sports and Social Club, for the last 10 years but fears have been raised over numerous aspects including safety and its cost – as was previously reported by the Comet.

But following a meeting between committee members, it was agreed the flying show will continue in all its glory.

Organiser Bob Barton was delighted the show will go on. He said: “It’s fantastic news. I know there were some concerns about how much it costs because it is expensive to run.

“For what we are going to do, a six-slot, you are looking at £455. But the display is a big, big draw and the footfall could have been affected without it, so for what it costs it makes its money back.

“I was dumbstruck when the committee said they weren’t going to go ahead with it after initially budgeting for it, but I think they were quite surprised at the amount of people who showed their disappointment and even said they wouldn’t any longer go.

“A petition was set up and even though it wasn’t going very long it got something like 83 signatures.”

This year’s fair will take place on July 13 and the air display will feature aircraft such as helicopters, spitfires and hurricanes.

Bob concluded: “It is great news for the event that the display is going ahead. As well as the flying circus I am also hoping to have some aerobatic pilots on show.

“Obviously it would be great if anyone, including local businesses, would like to sponsor the air show. All help would be appreciated.”

The committee did also raise issue with the impact the size of the required safety area would have on space for other activities, but this issue too was resolved.