A WORKING party has been formed to try to breathe new life into this year's beleaguered Beccles Carnival, amid warnings that its future is still in jeopardy.

A WORKING party has been formed to try to breathe new life into this year's beleaguered Beccles Carnival, amid warnings that its future is still in jeopardy.

Organisers still fear it will be nowhere near as big as people have known it to be in the past and that it may even be cancelled.

Last week, The Journal reported that a new carnival committee could not be formed until the �3,000 debt from last year's event had been cleared.

And, with the debt still standing, a group of five people has got together a working party to at least make the parade a certainty and to try to make the carnival a possibility again.

Its first meeting, which is open to anybody willing to help, will take place on Monday at 7.30pm at the King's Head Hotel.

The working party, which will have no money to kick off the campaign, is being headed by Annette Tackley, vice-chairman of last year's carnival committee. She said: “There will definitely be a parade and maybe a one-day, old-fashioned fete. But it will be nowhere near a carnival as big as we've known it in the past because the resources are just not available and support has not been forthcoming.

“But it will still be a fun time.”

She said the party was looking at possible avenues for funds.

“I've been talking to a few people about sponsorship and grants, but it's not going to be easy,” she said. “We need dedicated people willing to help raise funds and planning. We also require the support of local busin-esses, clubs, organisations or individ-uals willing to sponsor events or give donations. If the 2009 parade does not go ahead, it is very likely that it would be lost forever, which would be a great loss to Beccles. Bungay has already lost its carnival parade, a few years ago - don't let us lose ours.”

Annette added that she was looking at the possibility of moving the date of the festivities to a later date in summer so as not to clash with the Latitude festival at Henham, which has been blamed for taking away custom in past years.

Beccles Carnival and Parade dates back to the early 1900s and has only ever missed one year - in 1940.

For further information or to pledge your help, contact Annette at annette6235@aol.com, or call 01502 715671 or 07527 115697.