COUNCILLORS have turned to crowdfunding to raise the shortfall in their town’s anniversary celebrations’ budget.

Plans for Chipping Sodbury’s 800th birthday festivities were well under way until the town’s Heritage Lottery bid was rejected back in January.

The event - a celebration of the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Royal Market Charter, which marks the birth of Chipping Sodbury as a market town - is due to take place on Saturday, August 11 and Sunday, August 12.

The lottery let-down left a £10,000 funding black hole in the event’s coffers, and meant that the cash would have to be found elsewhere.

Now Sodbury Town Council is turning to crowdfunding as a way for the community to support the two-day extravaganza.

To the uninitiated, crowdfunding is a way of raising finance from a large number of people, who each contribute a relatively small amount, typically via the internet.

What’s unique about the crowdfunding model is how it harnesses the power of the public to make possible what would otherwise have been out of reach financially.

“The whole thing hinges on us getting a decent budget together by the end of March,” said Sodbury Town Council chairman Phil Rumney.
“We’re two thirds of the way there.

“But finding the last third is proving to be a lot harder than finding the first two thirds.

“Getting that final £10,000 would make the difference between doing a proper job, or the event not being on the scale we would have liked.”

Subject to funding, the celebration is set to include a two-day medieval encampment on the Ridings, a tournament, a Big Lunch feast, 30 different craftsmen, entertainment, music and more.

Funding has already been secured for historical re-enactors to visit the town’s schools.

“Any donation, no matter who small, would be greatly appreciated and will help us to put on this fantastic event for the whole community,” said Cllr Rumney.

To make a donation visit gofundme.com/chipping-sodbury-800-event