THE Dales Festival of Food and Drink will go ahead next year after a new organising team was established.

It had been announced that the 2015 festival would be the last after two years of bad weather reduced visitor numbers.

However, the board of the Leyburn and Mid-Wensleydale Partnership announced this week that they were drawing up plans for a "new look" festival to be held on June 18 and 19, 2016.

Instead of being held in a field on the outskirts of the town, the event will return to Leyburn Market Place where admission will be free.

Colin Toogood, from the partnership, said "We felt that it was important to take a fresh look at the festival, which has been so successful over the years.

"We are hoping to build on that success and make it an interesting, fun and accessible event for all.

"We felt we had to make the event more affordable and accessible for everyone, so with this in mind, we are delighted to reveal that the 2016 event will be free to visitors.”

Richard Sanderson, local businessman and a member of the partnership board, said next year's festival would focus more on producers and suppliers from the local area.

"It's been a very successful event but unfortunately it has suffered in the last couple of years with bad weather.

"We felt it would be better to bring it back into the town centre and we hope local businesses will benefit greatly."

An event manager will be appointed shortly and organisers will then seek companies wanting to take part.

On Monday, Leyburn Town Council granted permission for the festival to be held in the Market Place after members were told it would have a similar lay-out to the town's annual 1940s weekend event.

The festival was launched 14 years ago following an idea by Ann and Gerald Hodgson along with Margaret and Keith Knight in response to the foot and mouth crisis.

Since then it has raised more than £200,000 for local community causes.

In July, organisers announced that the 2015 event would be the last because of a fall in visitor numbers, rising costs and competition from other food events - many of which do not make an admission charge.