AN East Dorset festival visited by thousands of people each year has been cancelled due to a lack of funding.

The Wimborne Food Festival maybe off the menu but the town’s Business Improvement District (BID) team are still planning to go ahead with a week of food fun in the town from October 26 to November 3.

Clare Kavanagh, who runs an events company, started the festival in 2007, and has organised it ever since.

“It is a big event to put on and it costs more to put together than it gets back from sponsorship or revenue from stallholders. I am a volunteer, and pretty much everyone involved in it volunteers their time.”

Clare said she hopes the festival will return either next year or in 2015, but in the meantime, the BID team will put on an event showcasing local culinary talent in the town.

“Our aim was always to put on a free event for people to come and enjoy and get more education about food and healthy living, but we just can’t do that anymore.”

The October festival drew around 15,000 people to the market town in 2012.

“It’s a really good and fun festival, and I have enjoyed it immensely,” said Clare.

“I wish the BID team the best of luck. It would be a shame not to have something going on.”

Martin Tidd, founder and director of the BID, said: “The format will change slightly – it will be oriented around shops, residents and pubs, rather than around a big marquee.

A meeting has been organised for Monday to discuss and create ideas to how the town can best organise the event.

For more information, visit the BID’s Facebook page and website after the meeting.