Running event scrapped over council safety fears
A POPULAR running event has been scrapped over council concerns for safety.
Organisers of the South Side 6, who were planning to host their seventh annual event in November, have been forced to cancel after failing to get permission from Glasgow City Council.
The local authority said roads would have to be closed to accommodate for the event, which attracts hundreds of runners and is a highlight of the Glasgow fitness calendar.
Participants race the 26km route encompassing six of the city’s most well-known parks – Bellahouston, Pollok, King’s, Lynn, Rouken Glen and Queen’s Parks. Road closures would mean organisers being forced to fork out tens of thousands of pounds, which they don’t have.
The race is a not-for-profit event, and any money left over is donated to charity every year.
So far they have donated to Funding Neuro, the Teenage Cancer Trust and a number of other organisations. Last year’s race saw £1400 donated to good causes.
Friends Allan McDermid and Nick Vaughan, who organise the run, have been left disappointed by say they will not give up on holding the event again in future.
The pals started the run with two other friends, but its popularity grew and soon they were being asked by other running fanatics if they could join in too.
Allan said: “This year when we applied we were told they were looking for the OK from the roads department.
“We chased it up and were told that we didn’t have permission. They said they had concerns about an open road race.
“As it’s a small event they didn’t close the roads before but they were concerned that runners would get in the way of pedestrians or there would be incidents with traffic.
“Over the years we’ve had about 2000 runners and we’ve had lots of marshals with signs.
“It’s a Sunday morning, quite quiet as well, we think we had everything in place to make sure it was safe for everyone.
“Other events have been cancelled – there used to be a relay race in Victoria Park that was cancelled. I don’t know the reasoning other than it seems to be happening a lot of smaller events, not just in Glasgow.
“We were really disappointed but we’re not giving up and hope we can continue the discussions to get it back on in future.”
A Glasgow city council spokeswoman said they did not have assurances from organisers that public safety would be maintained during the event. They added that they are still open to discuss options with the event organisers.
A city council spokeswoman said: “The council has not cancelled this event.
“Organisers want to have around 400 runners racing on busy public footways, but have not yet provided adequate assurances on how they would ensure the safety of competitors and members of the public.
“We have offered to discuss potential solutions with the organiser – and we remain happy to do so.”