Rishton festival WILL go ahead it’s been confirmed after a dramatic turnaround today saw this weekend’s event initially called off.

Earlier today organisers revealed that the festival had been cancelled at the last minute due to the rising costs of insurance.

But in a dramatic turn of events the family festival, which has been running for 13 years, will now take place as planned on Saturday, July 2.

Members of fellow community group Switch On Rishton say they have managed to salvage the annual festival by extending their own event insurance to cover the parade and stalls.

Craig Brasenell, treasurer of Switch On Rishton, clocked off work early to consult their insurance firm and confirm the arrangements with Norden High School.

He said: “The festival is officially back on.

“Switch On Rishton have got multi-events insurance so we have spoken to the insurers and they say they will cover us for the parade and the event free of charge. At the moment we are trying to contact all the stallholders and everyone involved to let them know it’s not cancelled.

“I have been up to Norden to speak to the business head and they are fine for the event to carry on as planned.

“I know a lot of people were disappointed for it to close at such short notice and hopefully we’ll be able to get them back.”

He added: “We’re frantically trying to let everyone know. Fingers crossed we can save the day. It’s things like this that the community needs to get together, it would be a great disappointment if it hadn’t happened.”

Stalwart organisers Christine Hammerton and Malcolm Ward stepped down from their positions last year, and a lack of volunteers and committee members had placed the annual family event under threat.

Ward councillors Ken Moss and Clare Cleary, as well as resident Jeff Scales, had stepped in to the breach to help organise this year’s event.

Coun Moss had told the Observer earlier today that the insurance prices for the festival had been quoted as double previous years and the festival would be unable to go ahead.

The 2nd Rishton Guides troop is being mobilised to put up information posters on the streets of Rishton.

More than 1,000 people attended the event last year, which had the theme ‘Stars in their Eyes’.

This year has a ‘Historical Figures’ theme, and features stalls and a beer and cider cent, as well as the traditional parade from Rishton station to Norden High School.