British Heart Foundation's Blenheim Palace races postponed

Thousands were due to attend next month's races at Blenheim Palace

A charity running event due to be attended by thousands of people has been postponed until next year.

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) was set to host its half marathon and 10k (6.2 miles) at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire on 9 October.

But the charity said too few people had signed up to make the races cost effective.

It said it plans to return "bigger and better" next year, with refunds available for those unable to attend.

Anna McCaughley, BHF's head of events, said the decision to postpone the Blenheim Palace Run was "difficult".

"The BHF assess each of our events, looking at the costs to deliver them against the money we receive in fundraising," she said.

"We must ensure any event we run will help fund our research to help save and improve the lives of the 7.6 million people living with heart and circulatory disease.

"Due to a lower-than-expected number of participants, this event sadly would not have been cost effective.

"We want to say a huge, heartfelt thank you to everyone who signed up to this year's event and apologise to them for any inconvenience or upset this may have caused."

No date for next year's event has been confirmed.

"We have been happy to support this event over the last 11 years and will continue to do so in the future," Heather Carter, Blenheim Palace's operations director, said.