HASLEMERE Town Council has agreed to help launch a new festival of sport next month, with a £500 grant to help with publicity, after Peter Lawrence, chairman of Sport Haslemere, made an appeal to the full council last week.

Earlier this month the council’s grants committee had turned down an application for the cash, saying the event, needed to be marketed in a limited timeframe, that a Waverley Borough Council licence had still to be approved, and that a similar event a few years ago had not attracted many people and that more details were needed.

However Mr Lawrence told the council that although the Haslemere Festival of Sport, to be held under the banner of Haslemere Festival events, was still in its embroyonic stages, it had the support of Waverley’s leisure centre team Places for People and The Edge sports centre.

It is being planned to be held at Woolmer Hill sports ground, on the Bank Holiday Monday, on August 29.

A similar event in Farnham had attracted thousands of people.

Mr Lawrence said 5,000 leaflets and posters would be produced for distribution around the town and villages.

The council decided to go against the grant committee’s recommendation with 11 councillors voting to award the money, although Simon Drake voted against the proposal on the grounds money on marketing the event would be spent outside the catchment of Haslemere Town Council. A proposal that a member of the council join the organising committee to ensure financial transparency was adopted.

The festival on August Bank Holiday will be a “pick up and play” free event with an invitation to all ages to try different sports including: rugby, athletics, archery, dance, polo, football, netball, triathlon, badminton, volleyball, cricket, golf, cycling, trampolining, martial arts, basketball, hockey, yoga and table tennis.

Expert coaches will be available from local clubs and medals will be awarded to those who try 10 different sports in a day. It promises to have a carnival atmosphere with an inflatable slide, ice creams, food and drinks and side stalls, and classic cars on display.