ORGANISERS of the Up4It stage at the Colne Rhythm and Blues Festival are hoping for more support from local businesses as the countdown begins to the town's biggest event.

With under six weeks left until the young DJs, singers and dancers will be taking to the Open Door's stage, organiser Brian Holmes has emphasised how important the event is to young people locally.

He said: "Last year we had 26 bands playing over three days and selected them from about 50 responses. We have already had a lot of people writing to us and expect there will be even more hoping to get involved.

"We try to get young bands and provide an alternative stage to the blues. Young people have a right to have a stake in something as big as the blues festival, which is the most significant carnival in Pendle, and that is what we are trying to do.

"For the Sunday event last year, between 1 and 5pm, we had an opportunity for church groups to take part in a Christian slot. This year we are trying to get a gospel choir, Christian bands and possibly some theatre groups to take part.

"We haven't much time to raise the £12,000. A lot of groups who fund people with charitable objectives take three months to sort out their donations so we are excluded from that."

Brian has appealed for funds to local pubs, industrialists and big local retailers but is struggling to find help.

The Open Door has also applied for £4,000 funding from the Pendle Community Safety Partnership but will have to wait until the end of July to find out the outcome of the bid. Around £5,000 has already been collected towards the stage, including £2,000 sponsorship from Westons in Foulridge, who jumped in at the last minute last year to ensure the event could go ahead. Brian said: "We are very appreciative of the help from Westons. They supported us last year and are doing so again. It's their way of putting something back into the community."

The Open Door has said planned improvements to the free Up4It event include on-site toilet provision, a disabled viewing platform, a recycling project for bottles and cans, improved catering, and enhanced crowd management.

Anyone offering sponsorship for the event, during the August Bank Holiday weekend, can contact the Open Door Project on 01282 869596.