ORGANISERS of a long-running festival are appealing for help to make this year’s final event the best ever.

On The Bus festival has taken place near Corfe Castle Corfe Castle for the past 15 years, however within the past few months it has been hit by a run of bad luck.

Last year’s event was poorly attended due to bad weather. The festival, which would usually be attended by between 180 and 200 people saw around just 60 people turn out due to heavy rain.

Then in January, festival founder Bert Burnell had an adapted horsebox stolen from his driveway in Warwick Place, Bournemouth.

The distinctive yellow box with black stripes down the side was used as the main stage at the On The Bus festival and was its namesake.

It contained equipment used to construct a DJ booth and was towed away sometime between 10pm on January 1 and 7am the following morning.

David Currie, festival co-organiser, said: “It’s been a real kick in the teeth.

“We’ve been gradually getting bigger and better. Last year unfortunately was a real washout. Rather than letting it die and go quietly into the night, we thought we’d fundraise to have one last go of it.”

This summer’s event on July 20 and 21 will be the last ever and David and Bert are determined to see it out with a bang.

He added: “We’ve got a lot of die-hard fans. We’re planning to bring it back to its roots with local music and local produce.

“The more we raise, the more we’ll do. We’ll have fireworks if we reach a certain amount.”

The festival has been running without investment or sponsorship for the past six years and organisers are hoping to raise £2,000 towards the cost of this year’s event.

All funds raised will go towards the essentials of putting on the festival.

To make a donation, visit indiegogo.com/projects/one-last-bus-trip-on-the-bus-festival#/