MEMBERS of a town festival are appealing for volunteers.

Organisers fear the annual Loughton Festival will not make as much money for charity if volunteers do not step forward.

Organiser Sue Taylor said: “It might be only March 9, but the Loughton Festival team have been working extremely hard since the autumn making sure that everything is ready for April 29.

“As always, our festival will be made up of events organised by our volunteers as well as a few run by associated groups who help us raise money for our charities.

“Without our team of volunteers we would not be able to run our events. Sadly some of our best volunteers have either moved away or they have been forced to retire for various reasons.

“The lack of volunteers meant we ended up paying someone to provide refreshments at two of our events and that meant they got to keep the profits from the sales rather than the money going directly to our charity. So, if you can make a cup of tea, we would love to hear from you.”

This year, the festival will raise money for the Essex Air Ambulance and the Loughton Youth Project.

The festival starts on Saturday, April 29.

If you would like to volunteer, email info@loughtonfestival.org.