RACE for Life — one of the Island’s top fundraising events — has been dropped to cut costs.
Cancer Research UK announced its flagship event, held nationally, has been withdrawn from the Island, because numbers of participants had dropped and it needed to be more cost-effective.
Although last year’s Race for Life attracted 1,077 participants on the Island, raising about £54,000, the year before had 1,150, which compared to 1,507, in 2006.
"To ensure we raise as much money as possible we took the difficult decision to reduce the number of smaller events across the country, including the Isle of Wight," said a spokesperson from Cancer Research UK.
The charity said it increased marketing on the Island in a bid to encourage more people to take part but the cost of running the event had continued to rise.
"We appreciate it’s easier for people on the mainland to transfer to events nearby, but we hope our supporters on the Island can be persuaded to register for alternative venues in Southampton or Portsmouth," said a spokesperson.
However, Julie Scholes, of The Fairway, Sandown, who has taken part in Race for Life on the Island for four years, said Islanders will be put off.
"I only found out when I tried to register online and I was so disappointed, like many others will be, and it won’t be as well supported, which is a great shame," she said.
Reporter: mattw@iwcpmail.co.uk