Despite a massive 110,000 people descending on Huddersfield Food and Drink Festival, next year’s event is in jeopardy.
It cost £145,000 to put the festival on over four days - and the organisation behind it is to fold this month.
But Huddersfield MP Barry Sheerman has pledged to do his best to ensure its future.
This year the popular event in St George’s Square went ahead with help from Kirklees Council.
It is the largest festival of its kind in Yorkshire and this year was the 16th anniversary.
Organisers said it was considered the best year ever, with individuals and families travelling from across the region and as far as Liverpool, Cornwall and New York to join in the fun in the sun.
More than 90% of the food and drink businesses who exhibited were from Huddersfield and Yorkshire. Main sponsors were John Smith’s, Newsholme Food Group and Empire Dogs.
Mr Sheerman said: “I think we have to find alternative ways of funding it. I am going to talk to Sir Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, the county’s official tourism agency.
“It is too good an event to let it go but we have to find new ways of funding it and make it even better in the future. I want to put a team together to do that.”
Karen Hobson, 37, who managed this year’s festival, but who is being made redundant by the Partnership along with finance officer Jacqueline Speight, this month, said: “It’s good to go out on a high.
“It’s been an honour to work for the Partnership and get to engage with businesses in Huddersfield for the past 29 months.
“It’s the third festival that I have overseen and part of the problem is that it has got so big.
“I am glad that we have done what we set out to do and that the festival was safe, people had fun and I am pleased with how everything went. It was really successful.”
The idea is that the Board of Huddersfield Partnership will continue with an infusion of new blood with direct experience of bidding for funds.
Members will focus on the prospect of Huddersfield becoming a Business Improvement District, a defined area within which businesses are required to pay an additional tax or levy to fund projects in the area.
Karen added: “The hope is to get the Business School at the University of Huddersfield involved.
“It’s in the early stages but they have expressed an interest in getting involved with the BID in particular the research element.
Leading Kirklees councillor Andrew Cooper said: “I think it is a cracking event and a great promotion of the town.
“There are a lot of local, independent businesses involved in it and that’s what makes it special.
“I would be more than happy to help anyone make next year’s event happen.”
