A CRISIS meeting was held by members of Petersfield's marketing group PML on Tuesday night to discuss its future after organisers declared its latest charity event a washout. Members of PML organised a charity Valentine evening at Petersfield Rugby Club on Tuesday night last week to raise much-needed funds for more Christmas lights in the town. They trumpeted the event on a huge banner in front of the Festival Hall car park, put 2,500 fliers through front doors in the town and announced the evening on dozens of posters. But the PML team despaired when a mere 21 people turned out on the night and they raised only £140. It was the final straw as far as chairman Vernon Peake and other volunteers were concerned. This week they met to agree a case before holding make-or-break talks with their town council representative, George Watkinson, in the next fortnight. Mr Peake told The Herald the future of the group was hanging in the balance through lack of funding, non-existent support from the community for fundraising events and a lack of interest from businesses. "The whole thing is very disappointing indeed," Mr Peake said this week. "The whole PML team were on the floor after the Valentines evening. Just what have we got to do to get people interested? It's incredible that only 21 people turned up, and very disheartening indeed. "The future of PML is in danger - very much so - we have tried to do things to bring more people into Petersfield from the outside and enhance business in the town. But the danger is that the big stores will come to Petersfield and it will be stereotyped and look like every other town - it won't be the old market town any more, and that would not be good." He said lack of funding was a pivotal issue. "We get no help from the district council, and although we get funds from the town council we have to raise money ourselves, and because of the lack of support in Petersfield for the events we have put on it's very difficult to gather money." "When we organise events in The Square we do not have to pay, but for anything outside The Square there is a cost involved - for instance the Festival Hall or the Heath. If we got these venues for free it would make it much easier, but we don't." Mr Peake added: "Apathy is another problem. There is lack of community support and lack of support from the businesses. "It seems the only public events people like attending are the switching-on of the Christmas lights and Bonfire Night. It's the only time they turn out." He said the rot seemed to set in after PML's first family fundraising event last summer. "We had great support for that fun day, but since then there has been nothing," claimed Mr Peake. The group was still committed to its task, he said, but needed fresh ideas, and more support from the council. One of the issues he intends to raise with Mr Watkinson is the possibility of the marketing side of PML going back "in-house." "The marketing is just not working and one suggestion is for the town council to take back the role with a town manager," he said. But Mr Peake said PML intended to carry out its commitment to a three-year Christmas lights plan, extending the festive display to include Lavant Street and other areas of the town. "We are more than willing to do that, but you can't just let the display stand still, you have to keep producing something fresh and new and we are always going to need more money to do that." He said he was disappointed that businesses were not even prepared to donate £50 to the Christmas lights. "From a business point of view that is chicken feed and it would make a huge difference if all the businesses donated that amount, but when we asked them to do this last year, we got not one single penny." The district council representative on PML, Bob Ayer, told The Herald he was disappointed that he had not been invited to any of PML's meetings during the last year. But he sympathised with the group's dilemma and said he believed Mr Peake and his team had been doing a good job in the town. "The lack of support is a longstanding difficulty and all the marketing groups have found that trying to involve local businesses has been a challenge." He said the district council had extended its three-year pump-priming funds for a further year for just this reason. "We had hoped the previous group, the Associates of Petersfield Enterprises, would get their lift off from the local community, but it did not happen." Mr Ayer added: "The town council is very enthusiastic about its funding of the lights and I think that Vernon Peake has been very successful in this area. "We have tapered down the funding of the marketing side, but my impression from the town council's representative was that this fitted in with the aspirations of the new group." Mr Watkinson was not available to comment as The Herald went to press.