ORGANISERS of the annual Welsh Warrior Festival in Abergavenny have defended the decision to extend the event to four days, saying it was intended as a celebration of Richard Hunt and 'what he did for his local community and country'.

Local residents however, have expressed concern at the lack of consultation and fear that the festival will blight the Bank Holiday weekend.

The festival was first held in 2010 by the Richard Hunt Foundation to raise money and awareness for injured troops and their families, set up in memory of solider Richard Hunt, who died from injuries following an IED blast in Afghanistan.

This year will be the fourth year the festival has taken place in Bailey Park, Abergavenny, with each day taking a different theme, from a Big Band celebration opening on Friday, to a family fun day on Monday.

Emily Richards, festival manager at SoundBaseUk, which is organising the event on behalf of Richard Hunt Foundation said, "The ultimate reason for the extension of the festival this year is because on Friday, August 23 Richard would have been celebrating his 26th birthday and so we want to start the festival with an exclusive ticketed event in celebration of Richard and what he did for his local community and country."

While the town is broadly support of the event, some residents and councillors have expressed disappointment at the lack of communication with local people.

One woman, who lives close to Bailey Park told the Chronicle, , "I'm disgusted that there's been no consultation with people who live near the park.

"We have nothing against the charity or the event - indeed we usually enjoy it very much, but it seems that to hold it over four days is a step too far.

"We'd like to enjoy the Bank Holiday but with the music and the extra visitors using Hereford Road to park it will be very difficult for us."

Similar concerns were voiced by Councillors Martin Hickman and Maureen Powell, who said they were worried at the potential disruption for local residents.

Some members of Abergavenny Town Council have also criticised the lack of consultation and say they were unaware that the event had been extended to four days until its promotion began.

Former mayor, Councillor Sam Dodd said, "I have no problem with the event itself, it's for a great cause and I went myself last year and had a fantastic time. What I do have a problem with is the lack of communication about extending the event.

"The first year it was arranged they came to Abergavenny Town Council, and we helped them with funding and everything, but since then we haven't heard anything from them."

And not only is the lack of information a cause for concern, but there has also been anger expressed over the state that Bailey Park was left in after the previous event, with fencing reportedly being still left on the site six weeks later.

A spokesperson for Friends of Bailey Park said, "Last year the park was left in a mess, and I hope they have learned their lessons from that and don't let it happen again this year.

"Anyone who wants to use the park should leave it tidy and clean when they are done."

Speaking on behalf of the festival, Emily Richards said they shared concerns at the length of time the clean up operation took last year - a situation caused by an 'unreliable fencing company'

"WE ended up calling the company responsible on a daily basis to get the situation sorted," said Ms Richards.

"This year sees SoundbaseUk taking complete control of the festival and all infrastructure contractors have been chosen from our extensive database of contractors so that we can ensure that delivery and collection happens at the right time, so that there is as little impact of the Park as possible."

A spokesman for Monmouthshire County Council said, "We are sympathetic to the concerns expressed by some members of the public over the length of time that this year's Welsh Warrior festival will run for.

"We made a decision that because of the special circumstances surrounding this year's festival, we would allow it to take place over four days.

"This is definitely a one off concession and we have been clear with the event's organisers that it should revert to two days in future."

Emily Richards added, "All funds are generated through the festival and we do not receive any funding so we owe the local residents a huge thank you, which isn't really enough, for supporting us thus far."

The Welsh Warrior will run from Friday August 23 to Monday August 26, with tickets available online, at the Borough Theatre, or on the gate at the festival.

Adult tickets are £5 with children and concession tickets £3.50.

To find out more visit their website at welshwarriorfestival.com