ORGANISERS of Teignmouth Air Show have said they were ‘saddened’ to announce cancellation this year’s event last week.

Coronavirus and the obvious restrictions were, however, not the only the reason for the July event being shelved.

A chronic shortage of volunteers has also been a problem for the Teignmouth Air Show Committee.

In an announcement the group said they currently have around 10 volunteers, but around 130 were actually needed to safely pull off the event.

The group has asked that anyone willing to donate some time to get in touch.

An announcement drom the group stated: ‘As always, our committee remains dedicated and hopeful that we will pull out all the stops to make this happen and that the community will also rally around to help us achieve the largest free event in Teignbridge.

Air show committee chairman David Mathews said the decision to cancel came at the eleventh hour: ‘We just didn’t have enough time.’

We were told what airplanes we would have but we just didn’t have the time or manpower to raise that kind of cash.’

He added: ‘There’s only eight of us on the committee, for an event that attracts tens-of-thousands so we had to make the decision.’

The committee has stressed that they don’t require a massive commitment.

‘A few hours here and there’, and help with the occasional event is mainly what is needed, as fundraising takes place for most of the year. The event receives no funding from local government.

If you have any spare time to assist the group, please email: [email protected]