Hoddlesden's annual celebration could be cancelled (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Hoddlesden's annual celebration could be cancelled

2:35pm Tuesday 12th April 2011 in Hoddlesden By Neil Docking, Reporter

FUNDING FEARS Villagers have enjoyed the Grand Picnic for years but this summer’s event is in doubt

A VILLAGE picnic attended by hundreds of people every summer is under threat due to lack of funding.

Last year marked the 10th anniversary of Hoddlesden Millennium Green, which is celebrated annually with a Grand Picnic – a day of food, drink, music and family entertainment.

But this year’s event on Sunday, July 10 may not go ahead unless supporters come forward with donations.

Publicity spokesman Lynn Schofield said: “We normally have a band, a storyteller for the children and various other forms of entertainment.

“Some we put on ourselves and others are brought in.

Everybody brings their own food and has a good time, and the feedback has been so positive. But the average cost has been something like £850, and this year we’re £500 short.

“What we need is voluntary contributions, perhaps from people who have come in the past and enjoyed it and want to come again, or local businesses.”

One of the biggest greens in the country, Hoddlesden was one of only 250 created in England in 2000 as part a Government initiative to provide more facilities and activities for communities.

When it was launched, it was agreed that no money could be made out of the green.

The Grand Picnic has previously relied on funding from local organisations, but Lynn said this had dried up because of the economic climate.

She said: “We’re not allowed to charge anybody to come under our constitution. Everything on the green has to be free and open to everybody. We’ve appealed for grants all over the place, but nobody has got any money to give out because we’re in a time of austerity.

“I don’t think all the local residents realise we need funding. It would be a shame to lose this village tradition. It’s important to the village and it has brought the village together.”

Anyone wishing to make a donation or support the event should contact committee chairman Linda Dawson on 01254 703333.