ONE of Dorset’s newest family-friendly festivals, which was due to take place in Bournemouth over the bank holiday weekend, has been cancelled.

Sorted in Dorset was set to take place at Shelley Park in Boscombe from August 26 to 27, the second of two events which aimed to be “a celebration of everything the county has to offer whilst supporting worthy local causes at the same time”.

Organiser Jane Jones, owner of JJPR & Events, decided to pull the plug after she was left with debts of around £25,000 following a poor turnout for the first festival in Poole.

“As much as we had hoped to bring together many diverse groups from the local community, our previous event in Hamworthy Park was so adversely affected by the prolonged high temperatures and the fact that it was the first week of the school holidays that it does not make sense to continue with another event that is likely to incur further major losses for traders and for us as organisers,” she told the Echo.

“Never did I expect to blame heat on an event’s footfall. Over many years of organising Party in the Park at Ashley Cross, we did indeed incur some pretty ghastly weather by way of torrential rain, but funnily enough people still came out. Must be the fact that we are used to donning wellies and raincoats!

“Quite frankly I don’t blame people for heading off to the beach, even the paddling pool which we were supporting through Friends of Hamworthy Park was busier at times.”

All prepaid tickets for the August event in Shelley Park have now been refunded.

Jane added: “We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused to anyone that had planned to come to the next event, to local businesses who have showed such support, to the performers and entertainment arranged, to the local traders who were attending and to the charity, The Dorset Children’s Foundation, for whom we were so keen to raise much needed funds.”

Jane has since been invited to become a patron of the Dorset Children’s Foundation.

Charity founder Patsy Hallmey said: “Jane has supported us from the beginning and has introduced us to so many of our charity partners.

“We are delighted that Jane has gracefully accepted to come on board as a patron.”