Rosneath Peninsula Highland Gathering was rained off at the weekend, with organisers making the call to cancel the July 19 event on Friday afternoon.

As reported in the Advertiser, the Helensburgh and Lomond Highland Games was also cancelled on June 6 due to high winds.

Both events were due to attract more than a combined total of 8,000 people to Helensburgh and the Peninsula, and organisers are thought to be out of pocket by up to £15,000 due to a loss of entry fees at the gates, refunds to stall holders, and other losses which are still being calculated.

Organisers of the Rosneath event said the safety of competitors, visitors and stall holders was their ‘main concern’. It was expected there would be up to 3,000 people attending the games, with more than £5,000 generated in entry fees alone. Deposits and booking fees have already been paid, with organisers now worried that the lack of an event could have ‘a knock-on effect’ for next year.

Councillor Aileen Morton, policy lead for tourism for Argyll and Bute Council, said there was ‘no doubt’ there would be an effect on the local economy.

Robert MacIntyre, chairman of the Rosneath Peninsula Highland Gathering, said he and the committee were heartbroken when the decision was made because of a waterlogged Howie Park.

He said: “It would have been impossible for stall holders and visitors to access the field and it would certainly have been dangerous to hold any competitions in such conditions. The safety of everyone involved was our main concern. We will be in touch with sponsors, because without them we could not run the games. We are very grateful for their support.” The Rosneath Gathering was awarded £4,000 in funding from Helensburgh and Lomond Area Committee, as was the Helensburgh games.

More than £1,000 will have to be paid back to stall holders who paid fees to be at the event, and Mr MacIntyre said booking fees also had to paid by the organisers, which is likely to leave them out of pocket.

He added: “We get nothing back for that. It’s unfortunate. We are way out in the sticks down here, so hopefully it won’t put people off making plans to come and visit next year.

“It will have a knock-on effect, Helensburgh and Lomond Games would put out expenses as well. A lot of the money comes in at the gates, that’s what we would use to set up next year.

“I think for tourism we have got to try and promote it as much as we can. It’s taken the wind out our sails for both to be cancelled.” With plans in the pipeline to reschedule the solo piping competition, organisers are facing paying out of up to £3,000 for a venue, and running costs.

Organisers will not have to pay for using the park, because the event was cancelled in advance, according to a spokeswoman for Argyll and Bute Council.

A spokeswoman for the Easter Garth Guesthouse in Rosneath said they did not have cancelled bookings, but ‘a few disappointed people’.

Sephton MacQuire, chairman of the Helensburgh and Lomond Highland Games, said they had lost out on thousands of pounds due to cancellation fees and equipment costs after the event.

Mr MacQuire said: “It’s going to have a knock-on effect, for a start the council will be wanting to recover some of the money that was not used, we need to wait until the next meeting to see how much they want back off us, we need to take that into consideration.

“It’s stalling us from organising next year. I have no fear of people not coming, it will always be a popular games, I think we will continue to have lots of people attending. We’re really disappointed for the local community that we had to cancel.” Councillor Morton said: “It’s a real shame that the weather has washed out a second major event for the Helensburgh and Lomond area and there is no doubt a knock-on effect on the local economy as visitors from outside the area don’t come and spend money locally.

“However, I think the biggest impact must be felt by the volunteer organisers, who commit an enormous amount of time and effort to making these events a success.

“The council has supported both the Rosneath Highland Games and the Helensburgh Highland Games for a number of years – hopefully next year will bring some sunshine and allow both events recover from the disappointment of this year.” Jackie Baillie, Helensburgh and Lomond’s MSP, added: “This is a huge disappointment for the thousands of local people hoping to attend the Rosneath Highland Gathering and a missed opportunity for local businesses expecting an influx of visitors for the event.”