Buxton Carnival’s urgent £6,000 plea to help keep event going
Buxton Carnival is trying to raise £6,000 or the summer event for the town will be unable to go ahead.
Organisers for the annual event say insurance and bills have become so large there is a real fear the carnival may not be able to go ahead this year.
An online donation page has been set up to help raise the £6,000 but so far the total, at the time of publishing, is not yet at £2,000.
Jane Fletcher, from J T Events and part of the carnival organisers said: “Buxton Carnival is an annual celebration in the town that you all know and love.
“We urgently need to raise funds so the event can continue.”
There are increasing requirements/costs to allow cultural and community events to take place.
In Buxton this particularly affects the second Saturday in July or Buxton Carnival Day which has been assessed to be a 'Major Event' for emergency planning purposes. Events attracting people to Buxton on Carnival Day include the carnival, the International Festival, Festival Fringe, events in the Octagon, athletics road race, the funfair on the Market Place, weddings and pubs, bars and restaurants putting on outside entertainment.
These combine to attract an estimated 15,000 people to Buxton on that day. Jane said: “It’s one of the biggest events in the region and brings great benefit to the local economy, community and culture.
“It is an extraordinary day, steeped in history and means so much to so many people. “The increasing scale of all the activities and events has been assessed as a ‘Major Event’ for the purposes of emergency planning.”
New legislation introduces new regulations will impact the overall management of the day.
The classification as a 'Major Event' brings the requirement to have a coordinated Emergency Control Centre in Buxton for the day and private Emergency Medical Cover all day for up to 15,000 people in Buxton will cost about £6,000. Jane said: “Buxton Well Dressing Festival is a charity run by volunteers, we do not have the income to pay for the Emergency Medical Cover.
“Please donate to help raise the Medical Cover expenses needed for the day, with your help we can continue this tradition.
“It would be a great shame to lose it as it benefits so many people.”
To donate visit crowdfunder.co.uk/p/buxton-carnival