ORGANISERS of Devizes Carnival and lantern parade desperately need to hear from someone who has room for a giant elephant.

Fortunately the elephant in question is a lantern so will need no special care beyond a dry, safe place to be stored.

It and a number of horses that created the wow factor at the town's lantern festival now face being homeless unless a new storage unit can be found.

Dave Buxton from Devizes Outdoor Celebratory Arts said: "In addition to the big lanterns we also need somewhere to store an increasing amount of stuff used to make the lanterns and carnival things, also to store gazebos, stages, road closure signs, and much more.

"We have been very fortunate in recent years to have firms donate bits of space in vacant industrial units, garages and barns but we are currently facing a crisis because we have been given notice to quit our last bolt hole by the end of the month."

The arts group led by creative director Loz Samuels has always pledged to put any money made from events back into creating even bigger and better shows the next season so does not want to have to pay for storage.

But it has now lost an empty factory building in Folly Road that it has used for a number of years and will also soon have to give up a Devizes Town Council unit on an allotment which will be needed to store the council's own summer equipment.

Mr Buxton said: "We don't necessarily have to have one big unit. We could put the big lanterns in one place and the other materials somewhere else. But ideally we would have an unused industrial or farm unit. We have tried all of our usual supporters that often help us out but on this occasion nothing has yet come up.

"We just hope there is someone out there that has a space that we don't know about who is prepared to help us."

The plea for storage comes as the arts group prepares to stage its first event of 2017. Tickets are now on sale for Devizes Festival of Winter Ales that will be held in the Corn Exchange on February 24 and 25.

Ms Samuels said: "This delicious celebration of bespoke, warming winter ales and ciders is a fundraising event for DOCA.

"It helps us meet costs of DOCA's free annual programme of outstanding outdoor arts events and activities, including the Devizes International Street Festival, Devizes Carnival and the Christmas Lantern Parade.

"Our artistic programme is free to enjoy but costs thousands of pounds to produce. Please support us and come and enjoy this unique Winter Ale Festival which features live music and Street Festival style entertainment.

To find out more and book tickets go to http://www.docadevizes.org.uk/events/festival-of-winter-ales