When I first went to Appleby Horse Fair, the annual gathering of Gypsies and Travellers in Cumbria, I was transfixed by the young women. It was freezing cold and drizzled for most of the four days but they floated around the fields and village like tanned, neon-clad birds of paradise.

It was utterly unexpected – these were the days before Big Fat Gypsy Weddings type TV shows…

As I learned more about their culture, this display became even more of a conundrum. These remain some of the UK’s most traditional communities in terms of moral values and a girl’s honour is all. Couples often marry young start families by the time they are 17 or 18.

Appleby, I learned, is not only about horses – there are actually two distinct parallel events taking place. Just as the animals are groomed in the hope they will catch a buyer’s eye, the fair has become a time when many single girls primp and preen in the hope they will snare that special someone. See photos from this series here.