DOUBT remains over the future of a much-loved village event as organisers of the Flackwell Heath Cherry Fayre say they don’t know if it will ever be held again.

The annual event has been a village tradition for decades, but organisers say since fitness equipment was installed at the Recreation Ground in Straight Bit, it is no longer viable to run it.

Organiser Terry Darby has told the Bucks Free Press a mixture of a lack of volunteers and space issues have resulted in them cancelling the event for the foreseeable future.

Mr Darby, 70, said: “Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee if it will ever be held again. It would be difficult to run it in the way we normally do with the additional gym equipment on the Recreation Ground.

“The difficulty is we wouldn’t be able to have as many stall holders and that affects how much we could raise to fund the event.

“We would possibly have to look at holding the event elsewhere, but it wouldn’t be the same, it has always been held there.

“We also had a problem with getting people offering to help this year which was a shame. A lot of people have said to me it is a shame it’s not going ahead but they never offer to help either.”

The village is now facing the prospect of being without a Cherry Fayre for the first time in ten years.

The event was rejuvenated in 2005 as villagers looked for a community event to bring people together, 25 years since the last Cherry Fayre was held.

The Flackwell Heath Residents Association, who were involved in bringing the Cherry Fayre back to the village, say they are disappointed by the decision.

They said: “FHRA was naturally disappointed to learn that the Cherry Fayre is not taking place this year, especially as it was the body that re-introduced the Fayre to the village some years ago.

“We have heard several reasons why it isn’t going ahead this year, one of which was the addition of equipment to the Recreation Ground but we don’t think that this compromises running an event there. “Last year FHRA ran a successful picnic at the Recreation Ground and together with FHCA are bringing a bigger event to the village on Sunday, July 13, 2014."

What do you think of the cancellation of the Cherry Fayre? Will we ever see it in Flackwell Heath again? Have your say be emailing andrew.colley@london.newsquest.co.uk