MERE is set to lose its annual carnival unless more people join the committee. A small committee has struggled to keep the event going over the last few years and due to retirement the existing group of four people now feel unable to carry on.

Secretary Carol Payne, who has been helping out for the last five years, said: “The committee has just got smaller and smaller, and there are so few of us that we don’t think we are going to be able to put a thing together that is worth having. We just need more help. It’s such a shame if it doesn’t carry on.”

The committee usually begins planning the carnival, which takes place in September, at the beginning of the year and it needs to raise £4,000 to £5,000 throughout the year so it can go ahead. Volunteers are needed for a range of roles including fundraisers and a treasurer.

A meeting is being held at the Walnut Tree Inn, Mere, on February 11 at 7.30pm for anyone interested in lending a hand.