PRINCETOWN carnival organisers have appealed for help in solving the mystery of a carnival cup which has been lost for more than a decade.

The large cup was presented to the best float at Princetown Carnival by Malcolm Waite when he was chairman of Dartmoor Forest Parish Council, and went missing eleven or twelve years ago.

The disappearance of the cup only came to light this year, when Malcolm Waite?s son Colin won the overall shield and his father asked where the large cup was, in fact it had not been awarded for several years.

The members of Princetown Carnival Committee have decided to step down and get some ?new ideas and new blood into the events?, but they would like to get the cup back first, so they could hand it over to the new committee.

Pat McDonald, secretary of Princetown Village Community Fund said: ?If you remember being presented with this cup in the past, we would like to hear from you, as this would help us to pin down exactly when it went missing.

?If you have such a cup sitting in a cupboard or on your sideboard we would be delighted to hear from you. No questions or recriminations - we would just be pleased to have it again.?

Another committee is in the process of being formed to take on the challenge of running the popular carnival. Mrs McDonald said this year had been a particularly good event, and the new committee were looking forward to taking it forward.

As the committee steps down, they would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who has attended, in particular, the Tavistock Twirlers, Tavistock Lions, the Plymouth Pipe Band, the doughnut lady, Dartmoor Forest Parish Council, the Times and the people of Princetown and everyone who has supported the carnival over the years.

If you can help solve the mystery of the whereabouts of the carnival cup, please telephone Mrs McDonald on 01822 890448.