ONE of the biggest events in the Cumbrian calendar has been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The Keswick to Barrow is potentially being moved to a September date due to the safety of all those involved in the event and the committee are working hard to make sure they can still deliver for all the charities that benefit.

John McIntosh, one of the K2B committee members, said: “It is not as simple as the walk.

"There are lots of people who are involved in this jigsaw. We have a lot of staff, volunteers and helpers for this event who would not be able to partake because of the outbreak.

“The question was whether to make the call early or do you see things collapse nearer the time?

“It was deemed better to do this now so that we stood a chance of being able to hold it in September.

“The May date is the historic slot for the event and it is a shame to see that not happen. But it would be even more of a shame to not see it happen at all. We are contacting all the relevant agencies to try to ensure that we can run a safe event in September and hopefully we can confirm that by next week."

Simon Fell, Barrow's MP, said: "It's really sad news. K2B is such a great community event and charities across Furness will lose out as a result.

"That said, we have to ensure that people remain safe and well while COVID-19 is a threat."

Margaret Burrow, of the Barrow and District Disability Association, one of the many charities to benefit from the walk, said: “It’s really sad. It’s a fabulous event.

“It’s one event that makes you proud to be a local person.

“I do think it’s the right decision. It's a huge event that brings a huge amount of people together and the committee would feel responsible if anything goes wrong.

“It takes a lot of organisation.

“I wish them good luck and I hope that they can reschedule it soon.”

The walk started in 1967 and it has raised more than £3.75 million for good causes across Cumbria.