It was once one of the most anticipated events in Oxford’s social calendar, on the city’s biggest estate.

But the Leys Fair in Blackbird Leys has now been called off for the second year running, raising serious concerns it may be gone for good.

The annual event dates back decades, but ran in its current form each year from 1997, attracting up to 4,000 people every September.

Last year organisers cancelled the fair, saying they had been unable to find any support to meet crucial deadlines.

And no-one has taken on the responsibility this year.

The decision was made by newly-formed Blackbird Leys Community Centre Association at a crisis meeting on Thursday night.

The association felt they couldn’t go ahead with the full event but hope to hold a smaller open day in place of the Leys Fair this summer.

Blackbird Leys city and county councillor Val Smith attended the meeting. She said: “If we don’t have the fair again this year, I don’t think we’ll have it again.

“We’ve had some form of the fair on the Leys for donkeys years. There used to be floats round the whole estate and everyone would turn up.

“But the problem is that there is no money anymore and no volunteers.

“We need the Leys Fair. Barton has the Barton Bash, other areas have their events.”

The Leys Fair attracted thousands of people alongside local groups and organisations when it was last staged in September 2010.

The fair cost £7,000 to run, with money raised from Oxford City Council and from local businesses and residents.

Leys resident Paula Mitty said: “I think it’s a real shame.

“Anything which brings communities together is brilliant and that was such a good opportunity to do that.

“It gave us something else to go to.

“Everything is ‘money, money, money’ at the moment and I know times are hard, but it’s so sad these things are cancelled.”

Blackbird Leys Parish Council chairman Gordon Roper said: “They just don’t have anyone to run it.

“So unless someone from another area comes in and says ‘we’ll take it over’, that’s it for the Leys Fair, I’m afraid.

“It is a lot of work and so finding volunteers has been hard.

“It used to be run by Paul Isaacs, who worked for the council, but since he left that has been it. It was always very well attended, but there is nothing to replace it.”