A weekend of entertainment in Middleton Cheney could prevent the village's playing field being sold to developers.

Villagers hope Saturday's music festival and Sunday's fete will help secure the future of the sports field and playground for another year.

The field was bought by the village, near Banbury, and is run by the Memorial Hall and Playing Fields Charity.

Tracy King, chairman of the Playing Fields Association, said: "The field must be self-funding or we could lose it. It doesn't have to make a profit -- breaking even is enough."

She added: "Many people don't realise the fields are owned by the village. Everything, including maintenance and improvements, is paid for through local fund- raising."

She said the association needed to collect about £4,000 a year.

Mrs King said: "If we don't raise the money, the field will be taken over by the parish council, who will decide what to do with it. But I know there have been inquiries from developers."

The music festival will begin at 5pm and will feature Spank the Monkey, whose drummer Phil Aris lives in the village, and Hospitality, a rock group from Chenderit School.

One of the top attractions at the fete, which starts at 1pm on Sunday, will be Wild Child, an American Monster Truck which reach 60mph in five seconds.