THE success of this year's Eden Millennium Festival has prompted calls for an annual prestigious music festival.

Event management company Rhythm of Life, of Lazonby, which staged this year's festival, proposes to book established acts such as Daniel O'Donnel, Lightning Seeds and Shed Seven, as well as tribute bands and local groups to perform in Brougham's Deer Park over three days in July.

It is hoped the first year's event will break even and in future years might provide a profit.

At their latest meeting, Eden District Council's works and leisure committee agreed to provide £5,000 from current budgets, plus a further guarantee against loss of up to £10,000.

And they agreed to make specific £10,000 provision in the 2001-2002 leisure fund budget to support the event.