A popular autumn festival will not take place this year because ‘financial support is dwindling.’

The Festival of Senses in Llandeilo usually kickstarts the pre-Christmas season from November 15 to November 17, but the event has been cancelled.

The event is organised by a tiny team of volunteers who collectively contribute over 4000 hours.

Vice chair Christoph Fischer said: “The event requires multiple layers of infrastructure, resulting in an expenditure of approximately £31,000.

“Through fundraising stallholder contributions, we were estimated to have an income of around £20,000.

"The shortfall is clear, upsetting, and unrecoverable. We feel we have exhausted every avenue in regard to external funding, stakeholders and pledge support."

To happen, the festival requires huge infrastructure investment, administrative and compliance efforts.

Treasurer John Mered Williams added: "We want to send a heartfelt apology to our stallholders. We appreciate this must be a huge blow at what should be such a prosperous time of year.

“Please believe that if we could make this happen for you, we would. We will work as quickly and as swiftly as possible to ensure that your stall fees are refunded in full."

The organisers want the festival to return in 2025 yet need support from local businesses and the community.

Festival chair, Holly Dwyer said: “From the depth of our soul we simply want this to be a fallow year, where we can take a moment to gather, breathe and plan, but without financial investment and more hands on deck we fear 2023 may have been the last.

“We will continue with our planned fundraising events, and will do our best to galvanise and push forward.

"Please let us end by thanking all of those who have supported us, the volunteers brave enough to try and take on such a mammoth task; the suppliers who have been a joy to work with; the stallholders who have diligently supported us for years; and the individuals who have given time and money.

To sponsor any elements of the festival, or if you are interested in volunteering to make 2025 happen, please get in touch by emailing festivalofsenses@gmail.com.