ORGANISERS of a popular summer music festival are desperately searching for somewhere new to hold it after they were told their usual field will not be available this year.

The Woolley Festival has been running for four years and last year attracted more than 3,000 people, all keen to see local bands playing live in the open air.

But the Woolley Grange Hotel, who owns the field, where the festival has been held, is turning the land organic, so the festival is off limits this year.

Festival organiser Chris Goulstone is desperate to find a new venue.

He said: "We were beholden to the Woolley Grange for the field. They no longer feel they can help. Now we are looking for another site in Bradford on Avon.

"We feel we have a great brand, since we have done it for four years and we have had some wonderful times. Everybody has loved it."

The festival is acclaimed as a showcase for new talent and last year, bands such as The Bronz, Solar and So Am I played to huge crowds with up and coming musicians from the nearby Wiltshire Music Centre supporting the headlining bands.

Mr Goulstone said: "We have always attracted new talent and it would be a shame for the area if the festival were finished."

The Woolley Grange Hotel owns around 14 acres, part of which was the festival field, a walled garden and ancient fruit orchard.

Woolley Grange kitchen gardener Lucy Scott said: "We have been supplying the hotel kitchen with chemical-free vegetables for some time, and we have applied to the Soil Association for organic status.

"We want the field to be a wild flower meadow, with grazing at some times of the year, but it all has to be non-intensive. Even though the festival is only for two days the field does get considerable wear, and for us to get organic status the land needs to be rested."

The festival includes a concert on the Friday and Saturday that attracts around 1,000 people.

Anyone who can solve the venue problem should contact The George pub on (01225) 865650.