POPULAR summer bash the Children's Fete will happen in Swindon this year - after businesses stepped in to save the day.

Earlier this year organisers of the annual event, which dates back more than 140 years, said they feared its days were numbered.

Their organisation was homeless and its funds depleted.

So they appealed for help.

Now help has come forward to ensure the fete will happen this year.

"We were really up against it," said Jennylee Hall, from the children's fete committee of the New Mechanics' Institute Trust.

"With the rest of the trust, when we lost the railway museum base, we were a bit lost and our bits and pieces were all over the place.

"We have chairs and tables in people's gardens and garages and some things are being stored miles away.

"And because of all that it's been really difficult for us this year."

The Children's Fete was created in Swindon in 1866.

It ran for years but stopped during the Second World War.

In recent years it has been relaunched by the New Mechanics' Trust which had to leave its base in the old railway museum in Faringdon Road earlier this year.

Because of the disruption the committee appealed for help to organise this year's event.

The Advertiser covered the story and now the committee has gathered more than £3,000 in donations for the get-together.

Alcatel-Lucent and inSwindon, the town centre management company, both made donations to get things moving.

And Alcatel employees even offered to provide hands-on help on the day of the fete.

"We were bowled over by the way the campaign jumped-started and had a life of its own," said Jennylee.

"It was such a boost to us emotionally, not just financially, and reinforced our commitment to making the Children's Fete bigger and better each year.

"And that is a big challenge, given that as many as 28,000 people have attended in Swindon's golden age before the First World War.

"Even the smallest contributions have been deeply appreciated, because of the individual thought behind them.

"Having this money in place will help tremendously because although the fete is all about children, there are things like insurance, toilets and stages, which need to be paid for.

"We are still hoping to raise a little bit more because our aim, maybe for next year, is to have a carousel - but they cost megabucks.

"So any money that we raise this year that we don't spend will go into next year's pot and towards a carousel."

Stephanie Tully of inSwindon said: "We will do our best to make sure people from all across the town can use their usual means of transport into the town centre, but still find and enjoy their way to the GWR Park."

This year's bash will be on Saturday, July 19 at the GWR Park on Faringdon Road.

It will climax with a firework display at the end of the evening.