A SUCCESSFUL community arts event held in Barnoldswick at the height of the foot and mouth crisis has failed to attract cash from a foot and mouth recovery fund.

The Barnoldswick Bugs event was held last September, attracting large numbers of people to the town and boosting trade.

Organisers had been confident of securing foot and mouth recovery money from the Renewal in Rural Lancashire Fund, administered by the North West Development Agency.

They had been strongly advised that theirs was just the type of event it was designed to support.

However, Coun David Whipp told fellow Barnoldswick town councillors that the event organisers had been left feeling disappointed and frustrated.

He explained that the bid for foot and mouth money was submitted before the Barlick Bugs event was held last September, but the committee considering applications didn't meet until after the event. For that reason, it considered it a retrospective application and would not approve it on principle.

In a letter to the town council's community affairs committee, Barlick Bugs group member Nina Pinder said the group had been encouraged to apply for foot and mouth money and requested a grant of £1,100, principally to cover advertising costs.

"Unfortunately no grant was forthcoming and, despite strenuous representations, we will not get any funding from this source," she wrote.

Coun Whipp added that the bugs group had also hoped to claim VAT back by working through the town council, a VAT registered organisation.

However, in order to qualify for various grants, the bugs group had to be a separately constituted body and so had been unable to avoid VAT.

The group had managed to secure some additional funding, but a shortfall of £250 remained and it had approached the town council to see if it could help bridge that gap.

Previously the council made a donation of £500 towards staging the event.

Coun Whipp was clearly annoyed at the refusal of foot and mouth recovery funds, saying the bugs event had been an ideal candidate.

"It did the job perfectly," he said. "We had a lot of people saying how much they'd enjoyed it and a lot of shopkeepers in the town saying they'd never been busier."

He added that just before Christmas a grant of £5,000 had been made from the recovery funds for a two-day ice rink event in Kirkby Lonsdale.

Coun Frank Neal agreed the bugs event had been a successful day and did good for the town, proposing that the town council should fund the cash shortfall.

Other members agreed, although with an element of reluctance.

Coun Sally Lambert said the council must not make a habit of baling out events that were left with a cash shortfall, but given the special circumstances it could make an exception.

It is hoped to hold another Barlick Bugs event in 2002, building on the success of the first community arts day. Organisers are currently applying for £5,000 of "Awards for All" National Lottery funding.