ORGANISERS of a boat and leisure festival have been forced to scrap the event.
Despite good community support and from some Isle of Wight businesses, those behind the Jubilee-themed two-day Cowesfest in June said they had been unable to encourage enough companies to get involved.
Spearheaded by James Brooke, his vision was to create a stunning display of British boats and outdoor leisure activities for visitors to see, interact with and enjoy in celebration of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
Plans were also well underway to incorporate a packed schedule of live music.
Mr Brooke said: "We feel that cancelling the festival now is the responsible decision to take as it would be hugely disappointing for everyone if we produced an event that is anything less than exceptionally good. We pride ourselves on delivering high quality events, and hope that the time and effort that has been put into planning this event can be rewarded at a future date."
He added: "In order to help protect the future of other events and exhibitions, any companies wishing to exhibit at them really must understand that they will not be able to take advantage of any discounted or free stand space by waiting until the last minute to book.
"This notion simply undermines the potential success of the entire event and shows little consideration for all the other exhibitors who have been so supportive from an early stage.
"This culture has become widespread within the marine industry, and we consider it to be a greater threat to the future of exhibitions than the current economic climate."
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