Organisers face a race against time to bring the world-famous Red Arrows to Arbroath.
The display team is booked to visit the this summer at the Arbroath Festival of Heroes but that will only happen if £10,000 can be raised by the public.
The festival’s organising committee said the Red Arrows will be “an almost impossible element to afford” if the target isn’t met.
A crowdfunding bid is being launched today to make sure the display team visit the town for the first time in more than 10 years to honour the town’s heroes.
Jamie Buchan, who is leading the organising committee, has urged the public to dig deep to help them pull off “something amazing for the town”.
He said: “Of course, the Red Arrows are a prestigious feather in the cap for our event, which is genuinely shaping up to be spectacular, but they do come at a cost and a significant one at that.
“The Red Arrows and the respective insurance increases our budget requirements by a very healthy five-figure sum, and we are doing everything we can to raise the money for the event.
“We had budgeted for the Red Arrows at a very early stage so that there were no major shocks to the budget.
“With just over £17,500 raised by various means so far, we are around 50% of the way to our total goal with three months on the countdown clock.
“To this end, we seek the support of the Arbroath and Angus communities to help us achieve this goal in what will be a free-at-the-point-of-entry event.
“Arbroath has really seen the benefit of crowdfunding with the hugely successful Fireworks for Arbroath project in 2015, and there is now a direct correlation between dipping your hand in your pocket and putting a few pounds in and a bunch of hardworking people pulling off something amazing for the town and making the community spirit stronger and stronger.
“We have one month to try and raise our target of £10,000 to push us towards the finishing line.
“If we don’t meet this target then the Red Arrows will be an almost impossible element to afford.”
The inaugural Arbroath Festival of Heroes is due to take place at Victoria Park on Saturday June 4.
The event is a collaboration between the members of the previously staged Armed Forces and Emergency Services Parade and Arbroath Round Table.
Around 10,000 people are expected to attend.
Those who want to become a sponsor, make a donation or help raise funds can contact Jamie Buchan on 07786 036470 or by email at jamie@arbroathsheroes.co.uk.
The event is also on Facebook.