Villagers spoke of their disappointment last night after cancelling a popular country show because of a lack of volunteers.Each summer since the millennium celebrations of 2000, thousands of families have descended on the green at Old Buckenham, near Attleborough, for a huge fair - generating hundreds of pounds for local charities in the process.

Villagers spoke of their disappointment last night after cancelling a popular country show because of a lack of volunteers.

Each summer since the millennium celebrations of 2000, thousands of families have descended on the green at Old Buckenham, near Attleborough, for a huge fair - generating hundreds of pounds for local charities in the process.

But the show's committee has been forced to call off this year's event - despite it being more than six months away - after failing to attract fresh faces to help run it.

But they are optimistic that the event will reappear on the south Norfolk social calendar in September 2008.

The Old Buckenham fair last year attracted an estimated 3,000 visitors and raised £1,800 for charity through its horseback stunts and dog agility events in the main arena, vintage vehicle displays, funfair, Punch and Judy show and trade stands.

But the successful village show will not take place on September 1 after the majority of its committee stepped down because of business and family commitments.

Andrew Brown, press and publicity committee member, said there had been a lack of response to pleas

for new blood in the local parish

news.

"There are still quite a few members of the committee who are willing to stand, but we have not got enough new volunteers. It is quite time-consuming and takes such a long time to get organised that we normally need a formed committee by Christmas and New Year."

"It is disappointing, but we do plan to do it next year and we are confident that we can get a new committee together in the autumn and winter of this year," he said.

Julie Hancy, who had helped organise the annual event for the last three years with her partner Keith Harveyson, decided to step down from the committee because of work pressures.

She added that it was "sad" there was no one in Old Buckenham willing to carry on the organisation of the fair, which was "smaller than the Royal Norfolk Show, but bigger than a village fete."

"It would be nice to have fresh

blood on the committee and new ideas, but there doesn't seem to be anyone who wants to take it on, and you cannot run a big show with two people."