FOLLOWING the announcement that Torfaen Council were dropping all funding for Pontypool’s Party in the Park, the event’s future could potentially be secured.

Pontypool Community Council are set to debate the options for taking over the running of the event, which continues to attract thousands of people of all ages.

Nick Byrne, chairman of the events committee at Pontypool Community Council, is hopeful that the community council can maintain the event.

He said: “I would like to see it kept running as is, and I’m sure that there are others that would agree.

“Torfaen local authority have delivered some great events over the years, and Party in the Park is no exception.

“It’s a great event, especially for the kids and for families.

“We all want it to work out and are all going to pull together and pull something out of the bag. We’re going to get it running as good, if not better than it has done in previous years.

“We have got to work together and work with local businesses to try and deliver a great day.

“It’s not just Party in the Park. There are a number of events in Cwmbran and in Blaenavon that have been affected.”

The event featured a children’s parade, with its year of the ‘sea’ theme, as well as a climbing wall, mini go-karts, along with a variety of stalls and food from around the world.

However, budget cuts at Torfaen Council mean that they will not be able to run next year’s event.

A Torfaen County Borough Council spokesman said: “Withdrawing the budget for summer events is just one of the many difficult decisions we have been forced to make to protect front line services.

“We have made more than £60 million in savings over the last eight years and have to find further savings of £25 million by 2023. There are no easy choices left.

“We will be speaking to all community councils in the coming weeks to discuss potential ways forward.”