ORGANISERS of Leigh Folk Festival claim they need to find more funding to keep it going after making a loss this year.

Ian Flack, the festival's treasurer, has even suggested this year's could be the last unless they find more ways to fund it.

Thousands of people flocked to Leigh between June 25 and 28 to enjoy different music acts and performers.

Accounts from 2014 showed the festival just broke even, but projected figures for this year, show a £2,000 loss.

Ian Flack, festival treasurer, said: “If we are not careful, this year’s festival might be the last.

“We have been running for 23 years and have grown so much.

“Next year will be the 25th event and we will be looking to do something special, but if we do not have the money, then we will not be doing anything at all.”

Southend Council has previously been the main source of funds for the festival, but this year, organisers chose not to apply for funding as the pot was too small.

They are now looking to apply for grants, or setting up crowd funding, where people would raise money for the festival on their behalf.

Festival organisers, who are all volunteers, have also spent £1,700 on a new website which allows them to take online donations and sell merchandise.

But with income from street collections down in 2015, and the prospect of funding from Southend Council for 2016 looking bleak, Mr Flack is concerned for the future of the festival.

He said: “One of our greatest supporters over the years has been the trade union movement in Southend.

“However, all our usual sources are strapped for cash at the minute.

“For the number of people who come and have a good couple of days, to then make £3,500 to £4,000 in street collections was really quite disappointing.”

Mike Bromfield, a volunteer organiser of the festival, said: “We are exploring grants from the Arts Council and Big Lottery as well as crowd funding, which we hope will prove successful.

“Our budget is somewhere around 10 per cent of Village Green’s, but we are on a similar scale of event to that, spread over four days.

“There are other local organisations in Southend that receive some funding from the council, but we have been told there is not anything for us.

“We don’t want to be running on a year-to-year basis. It would be nice to be able to secure funding for several years on a rolling basis.”

BREAKDOWN OF COSTS

Total 2015 cost: £19,000

Total 2015 income: £17,000

Total 2015 loss: £2,000

BREAKDOWN:

Artists cost 2015: £9,000 2014: £8,876

Street collection 2015: £3,270 2014: £5,462

Logistics cost 2015: £1,800

Website redesign 2015: £1,700

Southend Council grant 2015: £0 2014: £12,000 2013: £2,000

Leigh Town Council grant 2015: £500 2014: £500 2013: £500

Excess in 2014 accounts – £7,144

Projected excess in 2015 accounts – about £5,000