I was absolutely incensed to read in last week’s Gazette that the Galtres Festival is to return under the guise of Parklands 2015.

As one of last year’s traders who is still owed money from the event, I could not believe that the Galtres Charitable Trust has the audacity to attempt to resurrect this doomed venture and to continue with James Houston as the festival director.

I cannot believe that the trustees of the Galtres Charitable Trust can possibly think he is the best person to take this event forward as he presided over last year’s calamity and is involved in an investigation.

Houston says this is the best way forward to pay the traders the money they are owed and to let some trade at the event without paying a pitch fee, yet neither myself, nor any of the other traders that are owed thousands of pounds have been contacted.

Is this a cynical ploy to try to gain some favour with the public who also have been outraged? Despite the claims that the festival will be scaled back to something more suitable to the numbers attending, I do not see how it is going to generate enough cash to cover itself and pay off the debts of the past. It is fanciful idea and more likely all part of Mr Houston’s spin, whose primary concern seems to be the continuation of his own vanity project.

Duncombe Park, by allowing this festival to take place within their grounds, thereby condoning the actions of last year, show themselves in a very poor light, displaying no support for the local traders who were deeply affected by this scandal.

Regardless of the technical financial rights and wrongs of this sorry episode, we in Ryedale know what is morally right and wrong and this is morally wrong on all counts. I urge all to show their disapproval by boycotting the proposed event.

Peter Stark, Hovingham