LOOE In Bloom has had its annual donation from the town council pruned down to less than half of last year's gift.
At the finance committee meeting on Monday it was decided to send the Bloomers just £2,000, which is £2,725 less than they were expecting. In previous years they had received £4,000.
The council donation is the biggest single sum the group receives and the unexpected cutback will mean extra work for the already hard pressed members. Most of the committee only joined Looe In Bloom in time for this season, after a campaign personally launched by Mayor Ron Overd to save it from dying out.
However, the Bloomers say in spite of the cut back they still hope to put on the same award winning displays as in previous years, and will have to curb their expenditure.
To help with this the chairman Bill Jones, has launched an appeal for volunteers to come forward to join a watering rota. It costs the Bloomers about £2,000 each season to employ someone to carry out this mammoth task, and if this can be done by a willing army of helpers, he says the money lost can be covered. Anyone willing to help water Looe's blooms should contact 01503 262583.
The council's decision was taken with much regret, but report they overspent on their donation budget by an extra £7,400 in the last financial year.