THE Mechanics Institution Trust will be asked to pay back a portion of a £10,00 grant, after this year’s Children’s Fete was cancelled.

The charity blamed the cancellation of the day-long July event, held in the GWR Park, on difficulties fundraising the necessary cash to host the popular festival. The fete has been cancelled in previous years.

Last year, South Swindon Parish Council donated almost £10,000 to the trust to help them put on the Children’s Fete. Of that funding, £3,000 was to be paid back from event profits.

In an email to the parish council chairman, Mechanics Institution Trust manager Hannah Parry said the charity had not had the “capacity or energy” to fundraise for this year’s fete.

“This isn’t the end of the Children’s Fete. We intend to start planning, fundraising and building a team of people now for the 2020 event,” she wrote.

The trust offered to pay back a portion of last year’s grant, but suggested the cash could be used for next year: “It would be great to be able to start the fundraising knowing we have £3,000 from the parish to get going with.”

But parish councillors voted on Tuesday night that the money should be repaid.

Janine Howarth, vice-chairman of the council, said the cash should come back to the parish: “Last year when they came for grants originally we did say that we would give them slightly more than they were asking for. They said the reason why they hadn’t done it on previous years was because the committee had fallen apart and they struggled to find sponsorships in the time they’d got.

“We said we would be happy to give them some extra, but that was on the proviso they would maintain it year on year.”

Parish chairman Chris Watts said of the cancellation: “It’s a shame because it was such a fantastic event.”