The Petersfield community is reeling after it was announced that the town’s three main festivals will not go ahead this year.

The Spring, Summer and Christmas festivals will not run after organisers Steve and Ben from Petersfield Community Events said they were taking a pause.

The Petersfield Awards will still go ahead but due to variety of factors, the festivals will be put on hold for the time being.

In a joint statement, Steve and Ben, said: “After having to cancel the Christmas Festival last minute due to the storm in December we realised, amongst other things, just how dependent we are on the unpredictable weather and how at a moments notice, our weeks and weeks of planning could be wiped out. This then combines with a huge strain put on the finances and our wellbeing yet again.

“We will always love our community and will always be involved as much as we can keeping it awesome and we will keep The Petersfield Awards running and yet for our own health and sanity, we are going to take a break from organising the three main Petersfield festivals this year.”

They went on to thank the community for their support and expressed their gratitude to the team of helpers for their work and the generosity of the sponsors.

Despite the sad news, more than 100 locals conveyed their support on social media, thanking Steve and Ben for putting on the festivals and all the hard work they have put into them.

The full statement can be read online at: https://www.petersfieldfest.com/.