A popular annual festival has been cancelled this year due to a lack of volunteers and funds.

Every summer for around 15 years, families have flocked to the Radlett Festival on Phillimore Recreation Ground.

Four thousand people, about half the population of Radlett, attended last year’s event - which featured stalls, amusement rides, a dog show and refreshments.

However, the popular festival is taking a hiatus this year to recruit volunteers and replenish cash supplies.

The Radlett Festival Committee has only half the number of organisers it needs and recent applications for funding grants have proven unsuccessful.

With help from Aldenham Parish Council, the committee hopes to reinstate the event for 2019.

One of the committee members, Clive Glover, has been volunteering for 10 years.

He said: “It isn’t any one big thing, it’s all these little things and when you count them up, it’s thousands and thousands of pounds to do a festival for a day.

“Obviously it’s disappointing that we haven’t been able to do it but we have to be realistic in terms of the numbers of people working and money available - and this year we didn’t have enough.

“But I am optimistic that working with Aldenham Parish Council means we can work it out for next year.”

He said organising even a one-day event must be done a long time in advance in order to secure caterers and stalls.

Since it started in 2004, £60,000 has been raised at the festival and £48,400 has been donated to charities and voluntary groups .

In 2016, £1,800 was given to the Phillimore Court residents’ Christmas lunch, the Rendezvous Lunch Club, the Radlett Archives Group, and put towards a new bench by the Theobald Street bus stop.

This year the committee is instead supporting a different event – the Radlett Festival of Music at the Radlett Centre on June 16.

It will feature local school children performing classic showpieces from the likes of West Side Story, Matilda and Sing. There will be performances at 2pm and 7pm. Tickets are £8 from www.radlettcentre.co.uk/What-s-On/Music/Do-Hear-The-People-Sing

To volunteer for 2019, email Clive on clivegloveruk@gmail.com