One of the event highlights of the year in Cardigan has been called off for the second straight year amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, with organisers hoping to come back “bigger and stronger” in 2022.

Organisers of the town’s annual Barley Saturday festival remain hopeful the event will return in 2022, but have decided to cancel this year’s event, which was scheduled to take place on Saturday, 24 April.

Last year’s event was also cancelled as the UK began its first lockdown as the Covid-19 crisis grew, and the vaccine rollout has come too late to save this year’s festival.

Barley Saturday secretary Tudor Harries said: “We were going to leave the decision as late as possible but we feel we have no choice but to call it off now.

“It’s very sad but there is nothing we can do about it.

“We have held off for as long as we can but we thought around the turn of the year it was not going to happen.

“We had hoped for a dramatic change in the situation but we have no chance.

“I am going to contact the president and the judges to see if they will continue in 2022.

“It is such an important day for the town and I know the local businesses look forward to it.

“Hopefully, we will be back bigger and stronger than ever next year.”

The event has been held annually in the town since 1961, after it was resurrected by a group of town business people.

The original event had its origin in the 19th century, but was disbanded during World War II before being revived.