Gainsborough: Riverside Festival could be postponed

A decision on whether this year’s Riverside Festival will be postponed or scaled down will be made at the beginning of March.
Gainsborough Riverside Festival 2013 G130608-1rGainsborough Riverside Festival 2013 G130608-1r
Gainsborough Riverside Festival 2013 G130608-1r

The Riverside Festival Committee gave itself until February to raise the money it needs to stage next year’s festival. However members have not been able to secure all the necessary funding.

A meeting will be taking place at the beginning of March where a decision will be made on whether to postpone this year’s festival until next year or if the festival will still go ahead but on a smaller scale.

In October, the committee gave themselves a target to raise £8,000 by the end of February.

Last year it cost £11,000 to put on the festival.

Festival secretary, Caz Davies, said: “Things have not been going very well. We are still putting in applications for funding but things take time.”

“We are looking to meet next week and see what we want to do. An option is to do it on a smaller scale and move it into one location to cut the cost down.”

“We have still got a couple of big businesses to go to and KFC are looking to funding something.”

“I am not hopeful that it will be a big one but hopefully we will be able to do something as long as we have dedication from the volunteers.”

“Another option is to spend this year fundraising for a big one next year.”

“We could alternate it year on year. That is better than not having anything at all.”

Festival committee member Trevor Halstead said: “As a follower of the Riverside Festival and a committee member I would like to think that the festival could go on even if it went on in a smaller scaled down version.”

“I would not want to see it totally disappear altogether.”

“Even if we didn’t get all the funding we needed I would still like to hope that a scaled down version of the Riverside Festival would go on.”

“I still have the collection container on the shop floor and we have had some donations from people in the pot.”

Caz added: “People have put in a lot of time and effort.”

“We will fight to keep it going.”

“It is better to have the festival every other year rather than fold permanently.”

“Plenty of people are still wanting to do things.”

“It’s crazy to think that if everyone over the age of 18 donated £1 we would have enough to cover it.”

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