A POPULAR festival will go ahead this year at a new location, after the National Trust refused to give the organisers permission to use Minchinhampton common.

The popular family festival was due to be cancelled just three weeks before it was due to happen, after the event organisers were informed that a license would not be granted for this year’s event.

Minchinhampton and Rodborough Commons Advisory Committee made their decision due to the National Trust's concerns over the impact that the festival could have on the fragile commons ecosystem.

However, visitors will still be able to enjoy an extraordinary spectacle as the skies fill with colourful kites on Saturday April 7 and Sunday April 8, at Tobacconist Farm, a short distance away.

Organiser Alfie Jobbins said: "I am delighted to say that the event will be going ahead, thanks to Lucy from Tobacconist Farm's help.

“I was devastated when I originally heard that the festival would not be given a license, so many people were due to be attending the event, some were even planning to travel from as far as Scotland – I really didn’t want to let everyone down.

“But thanks to the support of Lucy and the Stroud community, a new venue has been found nearby, the area will be a bit smaller and there will be less parking so we hope that people will leave their cars at home, or share lifts.”

Kite owners from across Gloucestershire and the Five Valleys can expect to see flying mermaids, geckos and sharks on when the festival takes place, on private land.

Families are encouraged to bring their own kite or have a go with those provided by Stroud Kite Flyers.

David Armstrong, National Trust lead ranger, explained why the decision had been made to ask the organisers not to hold the event on Minchinhampton Common this year: “We asked the organiser of kite festival to cancel the event because he never applied for permission to run it and such a large event would cause damage to the commons.

“The commons is one of the largest Scheduled Ancient Monuments in the country and an important but also fragile area for nature.”

“We used to hold our own kite festival but as it grew, it was clear that large events are not compatible with looking after such a special place so we stopped that one as well. There was a music festival in 2016 but again, it was too large so we didn’t give permission for it to return.”

“We are a conservation charity and we must place looking after such a precious place high on our priorities. Large events, especially at this time of year, risk damaging the rare flowers which grow there and are essential for the remarkable displays of butterflies, as well as disturbing ground nesting birds, including Skylarks.”

For more information about one of the Five Valley’s most popular and visually impressive festivals visit the Minchinhampton Kite Festival's Facebook page.