TRADERS are being urged to get into the Christmas spirit and take part in Otley's replacement Victorian Fayre day.

Although the event on Friday, December 6 will be vastly scaled down, Victorian dressed children from six schools will sing carols in the town centre and more than 30 shops and businesses will also dress up and stay open late into the evening.

There will also be a 'Spirit of Christmas' competition when shops, offices, restaurants and pubs will be judged on their costumes, window displays and festive atmosphere, and Otley Community Players will be staging their play specially written for the Fayre at The Black Horse Hotel.

But the event will distance itself from the usual Victorian Fayre so people coming into town expecting the usual entertainment will not be put off from coming next year.

And it is hoped after this year's cancellation - because of the threatened firefighters' strike on December 6 - next year's event will bounce back bigger and better than ever before.

At the second emergency meeting on Tuesday at Otley Civic Centre to discuss ways of salvaging part of the event, traders argued that it would be a major blow to businesses if nothing went ahead on the day.

Barbara Denkinson, of The Toycupboard in Kirkgate Arcade, said she had been around the town centre and so far more than 30 shops and businesses had agreed to stay open up until 9pm on the night.

"We small traders are falling by the wayside in Otley and we want to still be here next year. I've been all along Kirkgate and all the traders want to do something on the day," she said.

The meeting, called by the Mayor Councillor Gerard Francis and attended by city councillors Nigel Francis and Clive Fox, traders and Lisa Barnes of children's centre Lineham Farm, which will be collecting on the day, agreed to put on as much of the daytime events as possible - but not the evening entertainment because of the potential fire risk involved with steam powered traction engines and stalls with petrol lights.

Half the usual number of schools will take part in carol singing. There will also be handbell ringing, a couple of ornamental organs and the possibility of Morris dancers. Businesses will be encouraged to dress their windows either in Victorian style or festively and to enter the Spirit of Christmas competition.

Mike Gittins, of the Victorian Fayre Committee, said it had been a difficult but necessary decision to cancel the event because of the potential risk to the public if an incident had occurred in the packed streets.

"We are as devastated as anyone that the event had to be cancelled and we did not cancel it for any other reason that we can't deliver the fire marshalls. If it had gone ahead we would have been responsible for fire cover and there are not enough committee members to provide that."