ORGANISERS of Felixstowe's biggest event have expressed sadness at the loss this year of the majority of its entertainment.

ORGANISERS of Felixstowe's biggest event have expressed sadness at the loss this year of the majority of its entertainment.

Because of the recession, there is not enough money to stage the two days of carnival fun in Langer Park.

Instead there will only be a procession - on Saturday August 8 - and the committee is determined to make it really special.

The Port of Felixstowe, main sponsor of the event, has had to withdraw its support following cut-backs in its budget at a time when the dock has shed 200 jobs and is asking workers to take pay cuts.

It has left the organising committee with a big hole in its finances - unable to pay for the live bands, fireworks and other attractions.

Carnival secretary Sandie Doran said: “Our decision is due to the fact that we have been unsuccessful in obtaining any sponsorship and we believe that the gate numbers will be down due to the economic problems we all are suffering at present.

“Naturally the committee feels extremely sad at the outcome but we feel it is better to reduce the costs of the carnival this year rather than going ahead and making a loss which would in turn mean the end of the carnival for ever.

“This way we do not have such a large financial outlay and hopefully all will be back to normal next year - we will be doing all we can to find new sponsors by then.”

The carnival's main aim is to support charity and over the years has raised thousands of pounds for good causes in the Felixstowe area, including schools, youth groups, clubs and various projects.

Giving money to such causes is its first priority as a charity, and while it holds a little back to kick-start the following year's event, it does rely on the generosity of sponsors to fund the entertainment, with the park events costing about �26,000 to run.