Bank holiday events at brink over lack of volunteers

Organisers of popular bank holiday events in Somerset say a lack of volunteers is pushing them to the brink of cancellations.

Wells Moat Boat Race, which has seen people compete in rafts by Bishop's Palace every year for 60 years during the August bank holiday weekend, is now among the events at risk.

The threat comes after the team behind North Curry's May Fair announced on 17 February it had been cancelled because of a lack of volunteers.

Jane Vernoit, secretary of the City of Wells Lions Club which organises Wells Moat Boat Race, told BBC Radio Somerset they would decide whether to hold this year's event by the end of March.

She said volunteers were getting older, have busier lives and have "more options online which they get involved with".

"We're all suffering from the same thing - not enough volunteers," Vernoit said.

She said the Moat Boat Race was "one of Wells' biggest events of the year" and "the numbers of people watching, and taking part, go up and up".

Vernoit said the team would consider cancelling this year's race if "things aren't looking more promising", adding they needed three new volunteers after four had left.

North Curry May Fair announced its cancellation on Facebook because organisers could not find the volunteers needed to work in its planning team.

Former chair Jacky Fleming said rising costs and the introduction of application fees to close the village's roads were other challenges which led it being cancelled.

"It is a lovely event, appreciated much by the community and wider afield. It's very sad we had to pull the plug on it," she said.

Fleming added: "I'm approaching a certain age, those who are helping are also approaching a certain age, and what you need really is younger individuals to be coming in and taking those kind of roles on.

"It's difficult, everyone does have different challenges with their time, work, children and family."

Laura Bazlwy from Spark Somerset, which tries to connect volunteers with organisations in the county, said a drop in volunteers was a common problem.

"Many organisations are facing real challenges when it comes to recruiting volunteers at the moment, and it's something happening much more widely, not just here in Somerset but all over.

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