Welsh town cancels coronation party after failing to raise any money

A Welsh town's coronation party was forced to cancel after failing to raise enough money due to a "lack of interest".

Caldicot in south-east Wales was set to host a celebration on 6 May with children's activities, a big screen, competitions and entertainment.

The event was axed just a week before it was due to take place.

In a post online, Caldicot Town Team said a crowdfunding page had been running for 16 days, but despite being promoted on social media, it had "failed to raise any money whatsoever".

The team said it had approached Monmouthshire County Council and other partners but was still unable to gather the funds needed for the event, which was expected to cost between £2,500 and £3,000.

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The post continued: "Caldicot Town Team have taken the decision that in the current financial crisis, it would not be a good investment of funds, and could be better spent throughout the year, such as Family Fun Day and Street Food Festivals."

It comes as other parties around the UK are cancelled, including one due to be held at The Rotary Club in Exmouth, east Devon, which failed to sell enough tickets to pay for it.

The market town is in Monmouthshire, south-east Wales, the home county of Secretary of State for Wales David TC Davies.

The community, however, does not come under Mr Davies’ Monmouth constituency but is in the Labour-held Newport East area, also served by a Labour Senedd member and Labour-run Monmouthshire County Council.

The UK Government’s digital coronation map shows dozens of events and lunches across Wales over the weekend, but notably fewer than elsewhere in the UK.

Questions have been raised on social media about one event entered on the Eden Project’s map of coronation lunches.

The "private" event in Nefyn, on the Llyn Peninsula in North Wales, is labelled Gwyl Clustiau Mawr, which in Welsh means Big Ears Festival.

Only one official public screening of the coronation will take place in Wales on Saturday, in Cardiff Castle. The Coronation Concert will be shown afterwards on a screen in the city’s Roald Dahl Plass.

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