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02
Jul
Search underway for new location after Masham sports tourism event scrapped
A search to find a new location for a sports tourism event previously held in Masham has begun, according to North Yorkshire Council.
The Stray Ferret last week revealed the Long Course Weekend Yorkshire, which was expected to see thousands of participants descend on the town, had been cancelled for “operational reasons”.
The three-day event, which was held in Masham for the first time last September, was scheduled to return to the area from August 29 to 31.
The Long Course Weekend, which originated in Wales, is loosely based on a triathlon – with events in running, swimming and cycling – but people can choose to enter as many as they like.
Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, a Liberal Democrat councillor for the Masham and Fountains division, last week told the Stray Ferret the event’s steering group in Masham had received an email from Scott Powell, of organisers Activity Wales Events, announcing the 2025 event had been cancelled.
Mr Powell told the group community buy-in was “essential for the delivery and legacy of the event and that it was clear this could not be achieved”. His email added the company was looking for an alternative venue for 2026.
At a media event announcing the Long Course Weekend Yorkshire in 2023, Gemma Rio, the former head of the council-owned tourism body Destination Harrogate, said she hoped it would become a “significant annual event like the Great Yorkshire Show”.
The Stray Ferret asked the council, which agreed to pay a £75,000 to the organisers to host the event for three years, why “community buy-in” could not be achieved locally and whether the event could be cancelled completely.
We also asked, should the event be scrapped entirely, what would happen to taxpayers’ money.
A spokesperson said:
We will help the Long Course Weekend organisers to explore options for a future North Yorkshire event in a different location, where it can be delivered to the scale which is needed. No funding will be released for future years if a location cannot be agreed.
The spokesperson said, because this year's event is no longer taking place, the funding earmarked for it would not be released.
They also told the Stray Ferret a future event would be held in North Yorkshire but work to find another location has only just started.
Long Course Weekend winner, Madoc Lanfear-Appleby. Credit: Long Course Weekend Yorkshire
The council said it expected the event to generate £2 million for the local economy.
The Stray Ferret asked the council how much the first event made for the economy, but it did not provide a figure.
Instead, the council spokesperson said:
We deliver a range of events that are targeted at boosting the visitor economy of the county. When funding is agreed, we ask that partners, such as the Long Course Weekend’s organisers, deliver analysis to show the positive impact of the event and our funding to them. The analysis of the economic impact of the 2024 event was commissioned by the organisers.
We will support the Long Course Weekend to find a location for the North Yorkshire event in 2026, while ensuring that the benefits to our visitor economy and a return on any investment is at the heart of our work.
We have contacted the Long Course Weekend and Activity Wales Events for comment but have not received a response.
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