A COMMUNITY festival that champions music and the arts in Cockenzie, Port Seton and Prestonpans could be no more if a new committee cannot be found.

3 Harbours Arts Festival (3HAF) has been running for 18 years and celebrates the arts in and around Cockenzie, Port Seton and Prestonpans, usually taking place each summer.

Historically, the festival has taken the form of a multi-venue live event; however, the 2021 edition was moved online due to Covid-19 restrictions.

In 2022 the festival did not return due to a lack of volunteers and trouble organising events due to lockdown restrictions in winter time.

These problems have persisted into this year and organisers made an announcement in March that the festival would not go ahead due to a lack of "administrative and co-ordinating members" needed to run it.

On Thursday, the organisers made a final plea to get people involved as the entire festival was at the "point of closure".

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A final meeting to discuss the future of the festival has been arranged for Thursday, April 20, at 3pm at Cockenzie and Port Seton Community Centre and "enthusiastic or experienced" people are urged to go along.

In the statement released on Facebook on Thursday, the organisers said: "3 Harbours Arts Festival is at the point of closure unless a new committee comes forward that must consist of new directors and including those enthusiastic or experienced in co-ordinating a community arts festival.

"3HAF is a CIC (community interest company) and requires these posts to be filled in order to continue.

"If you are interested in being a member of this new committee, there will be a final decision meeting on Thursday, April 20, at 3pm at Cockenzie Community Centre."

The statement added that the festival had three realistic options available to it that would be discussed at the meeting: to continue 3HAF live festival by appointing new directors, including a co-ordinator and the volunteers required; to move the festival online with new directors, including a co-ordinator or curator; or see 3HAF close if no new directors and volunteers come forward and assign assets to other community projects.