A MUSIC festival that was cancelled this year will rise from the ashes for a stellar comeback in 2019, organisers have revealed.

The MFor Festival aimed to bring big name music acts to Swindon while supporting military and mental health charities.

Originally planned for June 23 this year in Lydiard Park, the ambitious event had to be cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.

But now organisers have posted a surprise announcement on social media proclaiming that the festival will be back on July 27, 2019.

A spokeswoman for the festival said: “MFor is all about an amazing day of music and entertainment for everyone.

“By joining us and supporting the event, you will be helping to raise funds for mental health charities locally and nationally.”

The news was greeted warmly by Tony Hodson and the Directory of Veteran-Owned Businesses, who wrote supportive messages on the festival’s Twitter page.

In response, a spokeswoman for the festival said: “It’s great to be back and ready to get this show on the road. We’re coming back bigger and better in 2019.”

More details about the newly-revamped festival will be revealed in the coming weeks.

After months of buzz and excitement in the lead-up to the event’s original date, it was suddenly scrapped and all tickets were refunded after one of the organisers suffered an unexpected severe mental health crisis in May.

Army veteran Graham Stobbs received an outpouring of support and consolation after he was found safe and well.

Graham has spent the months since the cancellation supporting charities and raised £3,700 for Help For Heroes.

He has just returned from an epic eight-day climb up Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

He said: “After my personal crisis, known to people in Swindon on May 22, for me this became more than just a trek for charity.

“My expectation of this mountain was to climb and come home, but in reality it became a symbol of my own battle with PTSD.

“This was no mean feat. I’d joked ‘It’s only a rock, how hard can it be’. Little did I know...

“It became a focus for my own battles and gave me time to reflect on my own demons, the ghosts that haunt my mind, my own judgement and anger and my very survival.

“For me to conquer the summit was to conquer my own mind, to understand why and how I think and to release my potential to help others and support those who have also been on similar journeys.

“To be a better me for the sake of my children who have loved and supported me, who have seen too much pain already because of my battles.

“To you both, I love you, to my friends and to the people who have donated and supported this important cause, I salute you.”

To donate, visit justgiving.com/fundraising/graham-stobbs2

For more information on the MFor Festival, visit the event’s Facebook and Twitter pages.