Organisers have pulled the plug on the hugely-popular Colchester Free Festival.
The event has grown to such an extent in the three years that it has been running that it has become a victim of its own success.
Organisers announced that it has become impossible to run the huge summer event at Castle Park with just a small team of volunteers.
Despite bad weather at this year's festival, an estimated 20,000 people turned out on the August bank holiday to enjoy the free music and arts extravaganza.
But it almost didn't go ahead after a funding crisis left it short of about £5,000 and some planned parts of the show had to be cancelled.
Organisers battled to save it but yesterday decided enough is enough and said the 2002 event was the last.
The festival directors and committee said it was with great regret they would no longer be able to provide the town with its annual showpiece. The huge workload involved in the festival was unsustainable, they said, as it was run entirely by volunteers with no guaranteed funding.
"The decision has not been taken lightly and it is hoped the community of Colchester will understand and appreciate the reasoning behind it," they said in a statement.
Kim Jameson, of Colchester Council, said she sympathised with the organisers' plight but the council has no funding programme available to provide any extra help.
Published Tuesday October 22, 2002
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