ONE of Flintshire’s biggest summer events, the Mold Carnival, has been cancelled.

This is the second year of disappointment for organisers, charities and traders after the second day of last year’s carnival was called off in the wake of a flood.

Preparations for this year were thrown into turmoil after organiser Tim Maunders stepped down after 10 years in charge and no suitable venue was found for the two-day carnival, due to be held during the last week of July.

During his time in the volunteer role, Cllr Maunders, who sits on Mold town council, helped turn the carnival into a thriving yearly event attracting more than 4,000 visitors.

He said: “It is disappointing for the town, it is a great loss. The town will suffer this year, but we will always make something else happen.

“I’ve done it for 10 years and ploughed a lot of time and effort into it. I think it needs new blood to fire it up again. Last year the flood was the final straw.”

Businesswoman Helen Parry, who runs The Party Shop on the High Street, is also involved with Tandem Cymru, a local charity for adults with learning disabilities.

She said: “It is very disappointing for the town and for many charities. There are a lot of charities which benefit. It is a big loss for Tandem because it was one of our main fundraising events for the year.

“Now is the time to regroup and make next year’s carnival the best year ever. Tim has done a magnificent job over the years in getting Mold Carnival established into a major event for the local community and it will be a disaster if his hard work over the years goes to waste.”

Concerns over a suitable venue to replace the town’s recreation ground have led to calls for a showground for Mold.

Cllr Maunders said: “There would need to be a new site. A car park would be good but would reduce the amount of parking spaces we have.

“If we had a showground it would be great. If we had a place like that we could attract more events to the town, we could build on it and make something of it.”