A community festival organiser says an annual event supported by the Brighton Festival has been neglected.

Colin Bradford claims the Moulsecoomb Family Fun Day had been "dropped" by the organisers of the annual city festival in favour of expensive, up-market events.

The fun day has been part of the festival community events programme for more than 18 years and has received sponsorship as well as inclusion in the festival programme.

However, this year, the day has not yet received its funding and has not been included in the festival brochure.

Mr Bradford, 58, who is the only existing member of the original fun day committee, said: "We don't know why we've been left out or what we have done wrong to get the cold shoulder and we're absolutely disgusted with the Brighton Festival, which is putting on these highfalutin shows costing £10 or £15 a ticket.

"This year they don't seem to want to sponsor me whatsoever , which I think is totally out of order and absolutely disgusting. They haven't even told me."

He has written to festival organisers twice and telephoned three times and has still not discovered why the annual event, which attracts up to 50,000 people, has not received the full support of festival organisers.

In the last four years the festival has offered the fun day organisers £450. Mr Bradford said: "Brighton Festival is getting thousands and thousands of pounds for big artists and we are a community event and we're not getting any money from them."

However, John Lucas, general manager of the festival, said: "We never said we are not going to sponsor him - I've not responded to him.

"I've said we'll sponsor him to the same level but haven't got round to it."

Mr Lucas said the fun day was left out of the brochure as organisers of the fun day must have failed to complete the inclusion form and paid the fee charged to be in the brochure.

However, Mr Bradford said they usually had the sponsorship in their hand by early April and he had not received a form to be included.

He added: "Why should we pay £20 to £25 to be in the brochure."

The fun day has received £1,300 financial backing from sponsors including Brighton and Hove City Council.

It is being held on May 12, in Wild Park, off the Lewes Road, Brighton, from 10am.

The free event will have a country and western theme with a shootout, bands, a birds of prey display, a fun fair, a car boot sale and stalls and a native American dance group.