CARNIVAL organisers have issued a heartfelt plea in a bid to keep their longstanding summer event alive.

Barbara Turner, one of a dwindling number of Northwich Carnival committee members, asked for help at Northwich Town Council's latest meeting.

"It's been in existence for well over 125 years but it's in danger of ceasing unless we get some help," she said.

"I've come tonight with a plea to you as a group of people to see if you would be willing to commit some time or maybe some finance to help for the carnival next year to make it the top main event that it should be.

"None of us on the committee want it to die, and a lot of traditional carnivals are dying out.

"I don't want that to happen.

"This is an exciting time for Northwich – in effect we're going to have a new town and we want the carnival to grow and develop with that and bring it back into the town."

She added: "At the moment we're down to seven ladies on the committee and four of us are in our 60s.

"We are, in fact, in dire straights and if we don't get help then the carnival will be no more."

Barbara praised Northwich Round Table, which has helped provide manpower and help with heavy lifting for the past two years.

She said the committee now needs help organising the parade through the town centre, help with marketing and publicity and help with administration.

"It's not the manpower on the weekend but organisation throughout the year," she said.

She suggested that the carnival, which takes place on the first Saturday of July, could be somehow combined with the town council's fun day in August to create a bumper summer event in the town centre.

The council agreed to look at the issue in more detail through its amenities sub-committee.