MILLENNIUM event organisers are hoping for a celebration bonanza in the year 2000 - despite just 17 ideas being reported so far.

Wycombe District Council has written to all parish councils asking them to come back with suggestions but so far only two have responded.

Downley Parish Council plans to hold a Downley Millennium Event at Commonside, and West Wycombe Parish Council is planning a Millennium Festival.

In February, Culture Secretary Chris Smith announced a £100m Millennium Festival for the year 2000 to include national, regional, and local sporting and artistic events as well as heritage projects, to which organisations could apply for funding.

Wycombe District Council is applying for Millennium Festival funds for a millennium chair arch which will be a permanent feature of High Wycombe, to which chairs could be added temporarily for special events.

Major events taking place in the year 2000 include a Millennium Youth Games, with individual county winners going forward to a national competition, and a month-long Middle Thames Millennium Celebration, organised by the Southern Tourist Board.

Churches are planning a passion play in High Wycombe High Street on Good Friday, 2000, and a Churches Together Bucks Millennium Festival on Bucks Showground in June, 2000.

Roger Bowen, Wycombe District Council tourism and cultural services manager, said it was already too late to apply for grants of more than £5,000.

He said: "We've written to all the parish councils and asked them to come back to us with various ideas.

"I think, given everything else, people have been slow to pick up but things are coming in now and they have the ideas."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.