Boldmere Christmas festival cancelled after Sutton Coldfield council refuses funding

Right · 2The Boldmere Christmas festival in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, will not go ahead for a second year in a row, according to its organiser, unless alternative funding is found. 1 2 Right · 2Paul Long, chairman of the not-for-profit Boldmere Futures CIC, announced this on Facebook, saying the town council had voted to refuse to fund the event for the second year running. 1 2 Right · 2Long wrote that the festival began 15 years ago under the then Boldmere Traders' Association and, without new funding, "this is a goodbye from the Christmas Festival". 1 2

Right · 2The festival costs £24,000 to run, and about £14,000 comes from stalls, the funfair and street food, with voluntary entrance donations helping cover core running costs. 1 2 Right · 2Long said the group asked for money to cover the shortfall and core costs, expecting at least a partial grant, but "we weren't offered a penny"; according to him, the council's stated reason was that the festival was not financially sustainable. 1 2 Right · 2Long also criticised the council, saying the high street relies on such events and that it gets only "a few dull flowers, wi-fi that is not needed, and the occasional visit from town rangers". 1 2

Right · 2Residents and a business owner reacted on social media with disappointment: one called the decision "very disappointing and short-sighted", another joked "Scrooge is alive and well", and a business owner said they were "gutted". 1 2 Right · 2Both outlets said they had contacted the council for comment; no council response is reported, so its reasoning is known only through the organiser. 1 2 Right · 1GB News added that a Christmas night market in Faversham, Kent, will also not run this year, because scaffolding around the Guildhall, which is being restored, prevents it. 2