A major fundraiser for army soldiers and veterans will return to Tidworth this year after the pandemic.

The Early Early Christmas Fair (EECF) will be held in Tedworth Park over two days in September to raise funds for ABF The Soldiers’ Charity – formerly known as the Army Benevolent Fund. The fair will be held in person, as well as online, so that as many people as possible can attend.

Caroline Cary, events organiser for the charity, said: “If you are looking for new ideas then look no further, as we have stunning new businesses, stalls overflowing with new and trendy ideas and plenty of options for everyone.

“The EECF has for many years been an established ‘must’ on the county’s social calendar, with many VIPs and others supporting this event and bringing communities together in Wiltshire and across neighbouring counties.

“This year is about the charity and supporting the small, hard-working businesses that are the key enablers of the event, and all our supporters.”

The EECF has been running for over 28 years, raising funds so that the ABF can provide a variety of services to servicepeople, including mental health support, physical therapy and rehabilitation projects.

Last year, the event was forced to become online only due to the pandemic, but the organisers deemed it such a success that the event will continue online after the physical fair closes.

The physical fair will take place at Tedworth Park on September 28 and 29, from 2pm-9:30pm on the former and 9:30am-4pm on the latter. There will be over 120 stalls on site, selling everything from food to stocking fillers, and all stallholders are giving 10 per cent of their proceeds to the ABF.

Once the physical event is over, it will head online, with a two week ‘event’, though shopping will continue until January 1.

Caroline said: “Once the live event is finished, we will be opening online for our Virtual EECVF Fair – bringing visitors a two-week exclusive, online shopping and event extravaganza, with over 60 per cent new stalls to shop from.”

To find out more, visit: www.eecfair.org.uk.