FREE entry is guaranteed to this year's popular Westcountry Balloon Fiesta in Tavistock.

The radical move is a bid to win back the crowds after last year's main event had to be cancelled because of the foot and mouth crisis.

And it is being helped by £2,700 from West Devon Borough Council which will be paid out should the event incur losses.

The fiesta, organised by Tavistock Lions Club and the Round Table, has been a major attraction in Tavistock's summer calendar since it started ten years ago —and enabled more than £50,000 to be distributed to local charities from its profits.

But last year's cancellation saw only a smaller field event take place and much of the contingency reserves were used in staging it.

Now the August Bank Holiday fiesta is being relaunched as a larger, more prestigious regional event.

New moves include removing the entry charge , increasing the number of balloons, and taking the 'Night Glow' to other venues — at present National Trust properties Killerton House and Saltram House — on the Thursday and Friday respectively, to publicise the weekend event in Tavistock.

West Devon Council's planning chief Stephen Gill told Tuesday's meeting of the economic, lesiure and community development committee the fiesta organisers were asking for a one-off grant for the re-launch of an event which brought tourism into the area and helped the economy.

The two major increases anticipated by the enlarging and moving out of the event this year were the cost of hot air gas due to the larger number of balloons and the increase in hire of special balloon shapes — a possible total of around £2,700.

Cllr Pat Warne said other councils such as Southampton gave grants to balloon fiestas. Tavistock's was well-established, but foot and mouth had broken the spell.

Cllr Warne said: 'If it's not done this year the spell will be completely broken and it will go elsewhere.'

The event helped Tavistock as a town and it would be a shame to see one of the town's prestigious events go, she added. The money applied for would only be needed if things 'didn't work out'.

Cllr Dick Eberlie said the council's money should not be available to make a profit at the event: 'All that is on offer is a guarantee to make up any loss within the figure recommended'.

Some councillors queried the decision not to make any entry charge at the event, but it was pointed out by Mr Gill that this was being done to encourage people back — the money requested was just to enable them to take the risk. Councillors would have to accept or reject the whole package 'to get it off the ground'.

'It's all up in the air at the moment — there are a lot of unknowns,' he said.

Councillors agreed to a grant of up to £2,700 with the proviso that the offer be withdrawn should the event make a profit.

Lions president Peter Harding said the grant was good news. 'It's a reassurance, for which we are very grateful.

'Without any support it would have hindered the ability to make it a success.

'The event is the largest balloon fiesta in the far South West and is very popular with balloonists, who are attracted by the spectacular countryside,' he said.

'We want to restructure it and make it free entry to attract more people from within and outside Tavistock,'

Mr Harding said more people meant a better atmosphere. Seeing the balloons first-hand was better then seeing them 'drift over the town from your garden'.

'The pre-events take the fiesta to its regional status,' he said, adding that the event was 'well and truly putting West Devon on the map, with promotional support from South West Tourism'.

A successful event would help them to obtain sponsorship in the future.

Although entry will be free, car parking will be charged for — in line with similar events across the country — and programmes will be on sale. Pitches at the site will also be rented out.

'We are taking a substantial risk with the number of balloons coming — probably over 50.

'We could end up in a position that the event costs so much to put on its future in its current form will have to be considered.

'But if the formula works this can continue to grow in future years,' said Mr Harding.