Nottingham's Goose Fair 'Goosey' out of hibernation Published duration 24 September 2013

image caption Goosey is delivered in the back of a truck to the roundabout where it announces the coming of the fair

image caption The fibreglass and timber model weighs about a quarter of a tonne and is kept in storage for 11 months of the year

image caption Nervous workmen delicately hoist Goosey onto the back of the truck to move it across Nottingham

Nottingham's Goose Fair mascot has been risen from hibernation to take up its annual residency on one of the city's roundabouts.

Goose Fair has taken place in Nottingham for more than 700 years and "Goosey" has sat on the Mansfield Road roundabout since the 1960s.

Nervous workmen undertake a delicate operation to move the model about four miles to signal the upcoming fair.

Goose Fair opens on 2 October and runs until 6 October.

The model - thought to be female but not scientifically tested - is made from fibreglass and timber, is about 6ft 6ins (2m) tall and weighs about a quarter of a tonne.

'Iconic' goose

Tony Papkiewicz has been in charge of the model for more than 20 years but never tires of the annual event.

"It is an iconic piece. It is one of those things people expect to see every year," he said.

"When we put it on the island people know the fair is on its way."

Goosey is stored in the Woolsthorpe depot in Bilborough the rest of the year and undergoes an annual repaint and clean by the community payback team.