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CANCELLED: Smethwick festival which attracts 20k

A festival that regularly attracts more than 20,000 people has been cancelled this year due to restoration work at the site.

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The annual May Day Festival at Lightwoods Park in Bearwood normally takes place over the May Bank Holiday weekend, but has been called off due to the work in the park and to Grade II-listed Lightwoods House, which includes restoring drinking fountains and a 19th century bandstand.

Steve Eling, deputy leader of Sandwell Council, said there was no way the park would be able to accommodate that number of spectators once the £5.2 million project starts, though he was hopeful the festival would be able to resume in 2016 even if work was still taking place at the house.

He said: "We are not doing it this year because the park will be a bit like a building site because we are now on site for the restoration. Consequently a fair part of the park will not be available so we could not cope if the same number of people turned up as has been the case in previous years.

"We will have something on during the summer, but we won't be able to stage the May Day event that we have been able to do in the last few years."

The festival features performances by local bands as well as nostalgia acts, while there have also been demonstrations on the skateboard and BMX park and a Sandwell's Strongest Man competition.

There is also a real ale tent and other stalls, including local trade stands, charities and catering stalls.

The event is free to the public, though the trade stands pay to have a pitch at the festival. The council also provides some money to stage the festival.

Mr Eling added: "I would have loved it to have gone ahead. It has been a very successful and popular event, but it is equally down to practicality because it coincides with the restoration of the park and it has only been going on for a few years."

The restoration work, which was starting this weekend, involves bringing Lightwoods House, which dates from 1791, back into public use for community meetings, training and functions. The ground floor will provide public toilets, a tea room and exhibition space.

The upper floors will have rooms for the community, conferencing, weddings and commercial office space.

Work in the park will include restoring the drinking fountains, 19th century bandstand, Shakespeare Garden, walls and railings and a pond.

As part of the plans, the plant nursery will be converted into a horticultural training centre.

Once work is completed, an array of educational and events programmes will be held at the park and house.

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