MONMOUTH Festival organisers have expressed their disappointment after learning a charity has chosen the week of the festival to apply for a street collection permit.

The festival is a not-for-profit event and relies heavily on donations from the public to keep its 10-day music festival free, but donations have been hampered by rival bucket collections along with a weekend of poor weather.

Festival organisers said that numbers were up but donations were down and it wasn’t going too well for the traders either. “After the first three nights. only £3,000 was collected towards the £20,000 needed to run the festival again next year,“ a spokesman told the Beacon.

“Sunday, sadly, saw the cancellation of the Family Fun Day, after the main stage suffered wind damage. The effects will be felt by all who were involved and we all need your readers’ support to turn this around.”

But party-goers have been telling festival bucket collectors that they had already donated on the way to the site, although they did not get a sticker - the festival’s way of showing who has donated that evening.

It seems that a ‘street collection permit’ has been given to collectors for the Hereford-based Breast Cancer Haven who have been out in the town on Monnow Bridge and Blestium Street in the evenings collecting for the cancer charity.

The permit was given by the county council’s Caldicot-based street collection permit department for 27th July, the first night of the festival, and the 29th to the 4th August, the same week as the festival.

When approached by festival organisers, one collector reportedly admitted the festival was “targeted” and although there are no times attached for the street collecting permit, the council have assumed that it would be during trading hours to catch the shoppers.

A festival spokesman told the Beacon: “It is causing confusion. We are very happy to support all local charities and welcome them to promote themselves and hand out leaflets on our site, but we have never encouraged them to collect when the festival is on.

“The licensing department we apply to is in Abergavenny and the street collections department is based in Caldicot so the council would be unaware that the two have clashed.

“It doesn’t feel very community-minded, it doesn’t feel like a very charitable action coming to Monmouth and taking money away from a not-for-profit community festival.”

Nina Al Temimi, the Breast Haven Cancer collector has defended criticism, stating that she is not collecting to compete with the festival, she had spoken to the council that issued the permit and was told there is no time limit. Nina says she is wearing the Breast Cancer Haven branding and has not misled anyone by implying she was collecting for the festival.

“I am collecting between the hours of 6pm to 8pm because I cannot do it during the day and leave the office empty,“ she told the Beacon.

“I told the festival organisers in April that I was intending to collect that week and was told that it would not be a problem. I have a target to meet and I knew there would be a lot of people in Monmouth this week.

“I am trying to promote and raise awareness of BCH and have done outreach events in Harts and other places and have had some good conversations with the local ladies.

“We were on the Monnow Bridge that evening (Sunday) at 9.30pm, but we had stopped collecting by 8pm and were just hanging about with friends.

“I have spoken to the council and they said we are doing nothing wrong but I will collect further up the street in future.”