A popular event on the Beccles town calendar is facing the axe unless volunteers are found urgently.

The Harvest Moon Music Festival has been held at The Quay for the past six years to provide a showcase for up-and-coming talent.

But after the organisers of the event, officers of Beccles Community Arts, stood down at the recent annual meeting, there is no committee left to steer the project.

The news means that plans for a bandstand in the town, a proposal orchestrated by the now disbanded team, are also in jeopardy.

Caroline Walsh, the only remaining member of the original committee, is calling on people to come forward and save the festival.

She said: 'The chairman, the secretary and the treasurer all wanted to stand down as it was all getting a bit much.

'We have had a lot of support over the years for young people and getting music out there and it would be such a shame with so much talent not to let this go ahead, especially as it is free. People come all day and bring a picnic. It's a really lovely community event and there isn't anything else like it around. But if we haven't got a committee we won't have an event.

'We just really need some fresh people with younger minds and innovative ideas to form a new committee.'

Mrs Walsh said previous events had included lots of folk acts, but she wanted to widen the audience by appealing to schools in the area for students who wish to perform as well as attracting acts from a variety of different genres of music.

Mrs Walsh's daughter Maizie, 15, has performed at four previous Harvest Moon Festivals and will help her mother with the line-up.

Beccles Community Arts was set up in 2006 to breathe new life into the town's arts community. The team was also responsible for the annual carols round the Christmas tree event in Exchange Square.

Mrs Walsh said: 'There are lots of things ongoing in the pipeline, but first of all we need to keep Harvest Moon going. It is not a huge commitment. There will only be meetings twice a year and then we get together via emails.'

Past members of the committee are still planning to support the festival by supplying all the information needed to put on the event.

If you would like to join the committee call Mrs Walsh on 01502 717959 or email carolineandandy@live.co.uk by March 31.

What are your memories of The Harvest Moon Music Festival? Would you like to see it continue? Email louisa.lay@archant.co.uk