WEYMOUTH BID says it supports a new pirate festival ‘in principle’ but will be reconsidering its funding request for £20,000 as it is ‘too much’ money.

The application has been submitted by Taloch Jameson from Celtic/folk-rock band The Dolmen.

The plan is for a three-day pirate/shanty festival from Friday, June 26 to Sunday, June 28.

Claudia Moore, Chief Operations Officer at Weymouth BID, said: “The BID agrees in principle, but I think £20,000 is too much money, but hopefully we will be able to support them.

“I will be meeting with Mark Vine and Taloch Jameson to go through the costs. I don’t think they will be needing quite so much money because I think some of the costs were rounded up.

“But it’s a good idea to celebrate the heritage of our seaside town and would be great for both adults and children.”

Since 2012, Mr Jameson and his band have organised The Dolmen Pirate Parlay in Weymouth.

The event sees enthusiasts dress up as pirates and take part in themed event, including a pirate parade.

However the proposed festival will expand on the event and include the whole time, bringing in both visitors and residents alike.

Mr Jameson said that he still had high hopes that they could raise the financial backing needed for the festival to take place.

He said: “Hopefully we can have a really great Weymouth Pirate Festival, which can compete with other festivals around the country.

“I’ve been looking at the costs of how much we will need to put it on.”

He said if the event doesn’t receive enough financial support it will be too expensive to organise.

He explained: “If the BID only puts a few thousand pounds into the festival then there’s no point really doing it because we put that money in ourselves, so I’m hoping that won’t be the case.

“The stages outside cost money, these are proper stages, not death traps.

“You’re looking at a couple of thousand pound each and that’s just for the stage, not for the PA or people on the stage. That’s what soaks up the money, so we’re hoping the BID will come as close as possible to our figure, but we will go through it with them and see what happens.”

He added: “I have high hopes.”

Mr Jameson said he will likely be meeting with the BID next week to discuss the funding application.