Andover's famous November Family Fireworks event at Thruxton has been cancelled this year, because organisers say they haven't got the funds or manpower to run it.
The Rotary Club and Round Table won't be putting on the spectacular display, which was marred last year due to torrential rain. In the past it's raised thousands of pounds for local charities, but unless someone steps forward to rescue it, November the fifth won't go with a bang this year.
The club says part of the problem is they have to sell plenty of tickets to cover the cost of the event which usually comes to around £7,000. In previous years Woolworths sold tickets in advance but now the store has closed there's nowhere else to sell them. There's also been a problem finding the 30 plus volunteers needed to help out on the night.
However the Rotary Club says they're now looking for other organisations who may be willing to run the event so there's still a chance it could go ahead.
David Moulton is the new president of the club: "We're very happy to hand over how we organised the event in previous years and we would really encourage people to talk to us if they're interested in putting on a fireworks event.
"It is very regretful because it's been fun to organise and a super event. But economics and the current climate do prevail and we're not able as a club to just fund it ourselves."
You can click 'play' to listen to Ben McGrail's full interview with David Moulton. |