A meeting was held on Monday night to discuss the possibility of reviving the St Neots carnival in 2016.

The idea is being floated by St Neots town councillor Colin Maslen who believes there is enough “new blood” in the town to bring back the event, which was last held in 2007.

The carnival was set to return in August 2014, after a seven-year absence, but had to be cancelled due to lack of support and enough volunteers to run the event.

“The question is, although a lot of people say they would like to see it return, are there enough people prepared to step up to the plate and volunteer to help plan, organise and run it?” said Cllr Maslen.

“I have spoken to lots of people who have bemoaned the loss of our carnival and it’s been suggested that perhaps we could look at doing another one in 2016. If I remember correctly it died because there was simply too much work to do by too few volunteers and I’m wondering if, in the intervening years and with new blood in the town, perhaps we could bring it back.”

Cllr Maslen told The Hunts Post there was a “good level of interest” at Monday night’s meeting, at the Volunteer Centre in St Neots, and it was agreed that a second meeting would be held in January to gauge support and possibly set up a committee.

“The carnival raised tens of thousands of pounds over its 60-year history and many local good causes benefited from it as well as all the fun local residents and visitors had during the carnival week,” said Cllr Maslen.

“With so many new residents in St Neots, especially including the new Loves Farm community, maybe it’s worth looking at it again. There’s many aspects of organising a carnival that people just don’t think about. For example, insurance for the carnival queens and court cost £1,000 a year and organising street stewards, who all have to be security vetted and paid for, as well as basic things such as getting permission from HDC to use our own park – the Regatta Meadows.”

A second meeting will be organised in early January to decide whether there is enough support for the event.

If you are interested in helping, contact Colin Maslen on 01480 214493 or email: cllrmaslen@gmail.com