A POPULAR Lakeland sporting event and show which attracts thousands of visitors annually has been cancelled for 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Each year, Grasmere Sports sees people descend on The Showfield for a day of competitions and activities including fell running, hound trailing, wrestling and tug of war.

However, directors said they had made ‘the very hard decision’ to cancel the 2020 event owing to the uncertainty and safety risks surrounding the Covid-19 crisis.

It would have been the 170th edition of a sports day and show which has been ‘a regular event since 1868, unbroken except for two periods, the First and Second World Wars’.

“Unfortunately, placing the public’s welfare and safety at the forefront of our thinking, as we always do, we believe it would be too much of a risk to stage our event in August,” said an event spokesman.

“As it is unclear whether or not the UK will still be having to operate to social distancing guidelines in the late summer, and given the popularity of our event and the nature of the elements which make it so spectacular, we believe we cannot ask our visitors, participants and stallholders to be put in the difficult position of being torn between attending or not attending.

“Months of planning go into the Grasmere Sports day and so we have taken the decision now to minimise the impacts on those who would have been involved or planning to visit, perhaps travelling a fair distance.

“Instead, we shall be putting our energy into our 2021 event, which we are determined shall see our programme return in a more vibrant way than ever before, keeping the culture of the area alive and welcoming new faces who have yet to experience the rich fabric of Lakeland life.

“We hope to see you next year and hope that you will, in the meantime, stay safe and well.”