AN appeal has been launched to raise £20,000 for a much-loved literary and music festival held in the Dylan Thomas township of Laugharne.

The Laugharne Weekend, which is taking place at the end of March, learnt just before Christmas that the Arts Council of Wales (ACW) will not be providing any funding for the 2020 event.

A line-up – including Labour leadership challenger Jess Phillips MP; leading political comedian Mark Thomas and veteran traditional folk singer Martin Carthy - is already in place for weekend, which describes itself as ‘unique, culturally-rich and beautifully eccentric’.

The majority of the event’s 500 weekend tickets were sold before the end of last year, with the assumption that the regular funding – latterly of £20,000 - would be given.

Describing the announcement as a ‘bombshell’, organisers immediately launched a crowdfunding appeal which has so far reached nearly £5,000 of the £20,000 sought.

Said co-organiser John Williams on The Laugharne Weekend gofundme page: “We cap weekend tickets at 500 each year because we want to make sure that everyone can get into the venues and to ensure the Laugharne Weekend feels like a community, not just a festival.

“That does put a cap on the income we can generate from tickets sales alone. Hence our dependence on the Arts Council.”

Mr Williams said that acts, venues and accommodation have been booked and tickets put on sale on the ‘reasonable assumption’ that the £20,000 contribution would be made towards the total budget of £70,000.

The reason the ACW cut the funding was because the festival allegedly broke their regulations by putting tickets on sale before the funding was confirmed.

“We’ve had to put tickets on sale prior to the ACW verdict several times before, and there has never previously been a problem,” added Mr Williams.

“There is no way of appealing this unjust verdict, unfortunately.

“On the upside, we are assured that the door is still open to reapply for Arts Council funding for the 2021 festival, so this appeal is a one-off.”

Speaking to the Western Telegraph, another Laugharne Weekend organiser, Richard Thomas, said that the 2020 festival would still be going ahead as planned.

“There is no chance of it being cancelled,” he said.

“A number of comedians will soon be doing a fundraising show for us in London, and we are fairly confident of raising this money.”

*The 2020 Laugharne Weekend is due to take place on Marc 27-29. For more information and tickets, see www.thelaugharneweekend.com