Swindon half-marathon cancelled due to lack of money

The race was due to have taken place on Sunday 16 October

The Swindon half-marathon, which was due to have taken place next month, has been cancelled due to a lack of funds.

Organisers said there was a shortfall of about £25,000, despite money being raised from a crowd funding campaign, sponsorship and donations.

They said they had been "unable to secure the financial support" in order to run the event "safely and legally".

The event, which was due to have taken place on 16 October, is run by volunteers and is not for profit.

The event's director, Katie Taylor-Neale, said it was "with much regret" that the decision to cancel it had been made.

'Pledges not realised'

She added that £2,250 had been raised though crowd funding, and £11,600 through sponsorship and donations.

"However, this, together with a number of substantial sponsorship pledges not being realised, still left a gap of approximately £25,000 that was needed for vital infrastructure costs such as road closures, safety barriers and toilets."

Runners who have registered for the half-marathon will receive refunds "in due course", she added.

She said she hoped the event would take place in the future, but "without further community voluntary and financial support then putting on an event for 2017 will also be a challenge".

About 1,700 runners took part in the race last year after it was saved from cancellation when a previous sponsor pulled out.