LUDLOW’S Green Festival will be moved to earlier in the year in 2017.

The environmental group Ludlow 21 says that after several years of holding the event over the August Bank Holiday weekend it needs to move to July.

It is making the change because the group says that its green message is not getting through to the people of the town.

“We have been running the Green Festival on August Bank Holiday Sunday for several years,” Denise Thompson of Ludlow 21 said in a letter to Ludlow Town Council.

“It is a popular event with activities for all the family but has an important purpose – to spread the environmental sustainability message to people who may not be familiar with our ‘green agenda’ and as a Ludlow organisation, we want primarily to get that message across to Ludlow people.

“For the last three years we have been asking people attending the festival where they come from.”

She said people came from all over the country including London and Scotland.

“But unfortunately, the vast majority are not from Ludlow. Indeed, most people visit our festival almost by accident, having been drawn to Ludlow because of events at the castle or simply because they like visiting our town,” added Denise Thompson.

She said that Ludlow 21 believes that the shortage of people from the town is because many use that weekend as the last chance to get away before the schools return.

Therefore, by holding the ‘Green Festival’ earlier in the year and in term time it is thought that more local people would attend.

Ludlow 21 want to hold the Festival in 2017 on Sunday, July 9.