ORGANISERS of an endurance walk along the South Downs have left fundraisers feeling disappointed after cancelling this year’s event with less than 24 hours’ notice.

Oxfam bosses felt the heat last Friday after deciding to cancel this year’s Trailwalker due to ‘adverse weather conditions’.

They made the decision on safety grounds after learning that daytime temperatures for prolonged periods on Saturday and Sunday would exceed the safe event threshold set by the Ministry of Defence (MOD).

The decision baffled and angered many people who signed up to the 100-km walk from Queen Elizabeth Country Park to Brighton in aid of Oxfam and the Gurkha Welfare Trust (GWT).

Many participants from further afield booked hotels close to the start point weeks in advance while others complained about the wasted time and effort spent on training and fundraising.

Ian Crawford and his grandson, Aidan Sanders, from Petersfield, shared the disappointment of other participants as they were half of the ‘Truly Over The Hill’ team. This year’s Trailwalker would have been Aidan’s first while Mr Crawford knows the route intimately as he’s completed 19.

Aidan said: “I don’t want to be critical but the decision was unfortunate.

“I’ve experienced hotter weather on courses and, yes, it was hot on Sunday in Petersfield but it was a few degrees lower further down the coast in Brighton. I’ve got to respect the decision they made but it’s annoyed a lot of people.”

He believes organisers made the right call but admitted he was “gutted” with the cancellation as he wanted to complete the trek for his grandfather

He said: “He is determined to do it next year but I was hoping this would be the start of my legacy.

“I do have to respect the decision by the MOD though because I think a lot of people would have struggled, especially with the gaps between water points.

“We might do a walk just to say thank you to everyone who donated but we’ll have to wait and see.”

Having made arrangements, many teams decided to complete the route regardless of the decision, which was reached in agreement by Oxfam, the GWT and the Queen’s Gurkha Signals Regiment.

Teams who entered can either have their registrations deferred to next year’s event or request a refund, while donors who would like their donations to be refunded should e-mail: [email protected]

Organisers have assured entrants that the health and safety of teams is their primary focus and that the ‘last resort’ decision of cancellation was not taken lightly.

A spokesman said: “It is the first time we have ever cancelled the event and is not a decision that we ever wanted to make.”