THE future of the Saltaire Festival is in doubt due to funding cuts and a shortage of volunteers to help run it, organisers have warned.

The festival has taken place in the village every September since 2003.

But organisers say they need to raise £60,000 to run this year’s festival, pencilled in between September 8 and 17, and have called for volunteers to help out.

They are looking for a pool of 50 volunteers to help run the festival in September, as well as people to join its board of trustees to help raise funds to stage the event.

A public meeting will be held at The Hop in Saltaire tonight from 7.30pm for potential volunteers to come forward.

The festival’s board of trustees is now applying to a number of funding sources for part of the cash to pay for the event.

Last year’s festival was partly funded by grants from Bradford Council, Baildon Town Council and the Sir George Martin Trust.

Ros Garside, chairman of Saltaire Festival’s board of trustees, said: “The transient nature of Saltaire’s population - and the many community groups within the village - makes it more difficult to retain a large enough group of volunteers with the relevant skills.

“Without the people to volunteer and additional funding, we can’t help run it. We have to raise the money from scratch.

“This year’s festival is dependant on people coming forward to help run it. It is not a crisis, but it does not run from one year to the next without people’s help.

“This year our feedback from visitors, performers and volunteers was overwhelmingly positive but as things stand it’s not viable to continue.

“It would be a shame if the festival had to fold and we imagine it would be a huge impact on the local community and a gap in the calendar.

“We need to strengthen our board, who are the core of the festival.

“The board is drawn from volunteers and it’s important this reflects the local community as the festival belongs to Saltaire - it links up and works with village organisations and local businesses, as well as residents.

Last year’s festival cost around £60,000 to stage and included more than 100 events and attracted more than 35,000 visitors. Thousands of people lined the streets and park in Saltaire for its annual festival last year.

Anyone who is unable to attend the public meeting but would like to volunteer, can email info@saltairefestival.co.uk

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