A popular community festival has been scrapped less that a month before it was scheduled to take place due to lack of funding.
Kilburn Festival faithfuls have been left rueing over missed opportunities after the trustees decided to axe the summer’s event which takes place on July 13 in Grange Park.
Janet Grauberg, co-chair of the Kilburn Festival charity, said “This has been a really difficult decision. All of us live in the area and we know how disappointing it will be for people who enjoy the Festival each year and for all the stallholders and performers.
“These are challenging times for all small local charities, and we just couldn’t raise enough money in time.
The family friendly day, which comprises of live music, street food and stall, typically attracts thousands of people from all over the borough and across the capital.
Ms Grauberg continued: “We want to come back stronger for 2015, but we need more volunteers and supporters. If any Brent & Kilburn Times readers can help in any way, we’d love to hear from you.”
Earlier this year, the festival organisers received a bumper £5,000 cheque from Camden Council as part of a new scheme to bolster funding for community festivals over the next twelve months.
The cancellation was originally thought to have been down to lack of funding from Brent Council - caused by the timing of the recent election which meant a decision on funding for the event could not be made in time.
However, Lyn O’Sullivan, Brent Council Head of Partnerships and Engagement, claims this is not the case.
She said: “We have been happy to contribute towards the festival in recent years, but this time we weren’t asked to fund it. If we had, we would certainly have considered it.
“They have discussed with us the possibility of an event later in the year, and we would be happy to put an application from them to councillors for consideration.”
For more information on how to donate to the charity, email: j.grauberg@googlemail.com.
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