A LONGSTANDING music event has been cancelled as the charitable trust which owns the land deemed it "no longer suitable".

Live @ The Farm had been held at River Bourne Community Farm each May for the past decade.

The Laverstock one-day music festival attracted more than 4,000 people last year, on May 28, with upgrades having been made to the bar and security.

But it won't be returning this year as "increasingly severe weather conditions" have made the land unsuitable for large-scale events, according to the landowner.

Salisbury Journal: Live @ The Farm will not be returning.Live @ The Farm will not be returning. (Image: River Bourne Community Farm)

The Devenish Bradshaw Charitable Trust acquired 53 acres of water meadow in 2018 from Peter Bialek who had leased the area to River Bourne Community Farm in 2010.

The free-to-visit farm began hosting a live music festival in 2013 to generate money so a sizable gap must now be filled by other means of fundraising.

Salisbury Journal: Live @ The Farm 2023 was the biggest iteration of the annual event.Live @ The Farm 2023 was the biggest iteration of the annual event. (Image: Spencer Mulholland)

River Bourne Community Farm's education and marketing manager Sara-Jane Hancock said she is "naturally very disappointed" that the farm's main annual community event and fundraiser has been axed.

A replacement 'Laverstock Live' event will take place at the Laverstock and Ford Sports Club on May 26 instead, but River Bourne Community Farm is not involved.

The musical acts which were booked for Live @ The Farm will perform at Laverstock Live instead, with Oasis Maybe and The Fogues headlining.

Sara-Jane said: "It's important to note that the farm is not organising or benefiting from this event, and it isn’t Live @ The Farm being relocated to a different venue.

Read more: ​Salisbury Live @ the Farm draws crowd of more than 4,000

"There seems to be some confusion about this. We wish them well and are confident it will be a great day, raising funds for their chosen cause.

"We are currently exploring ways for the farm to be involved with Salisbury Live in the future, as it's a wonderful celebration of the musical talent we have in Salisbury."

Salisbury Journal: Sara-Jane Hancock, education and marketing manager for River Bourne Community Farm.Sara-Jane Hancock, education and marketing manager for River Bourne Community Farm. (Image: File)

A statement posted on the Devenish Bradshaw Charitable Trust's website states: "We unfortunately will not be hosting Live @ The Farm on the flood plain meadows going forward.

"Due to increasingly severe weather conditions, the flood plain meadow location is no longer suitable for this scale of event."

Last year, Live @ The Farm hosted Aladdin Sane, a David Bowie tribute act and Elton John tribute Absolutely Elton among other local musical talent.

Salisbury Live organiser Colin Holton said Laverstock Live was a case of relocating the pre-booked bands or having no event at all.

He added: "We had the infrastructure in place for the bands. Because it's a prime day, a bank holiday, we have got the acts booked we just needed a venue."

The social club is licensed to allow 2,000 people on the site, so the event will be down-scaled to just one stage.

"It's sad we're not at the farm because we have been there for years. We don't say it's n place of the farm, we just say it's an event taking place on that day," added Mr Holton.

River Bourne Community Farm will be planning other events on the farm throughout the year, Sara-Jane said: "Salisbury residents have always been very supportive of our work on the farm, especially with young people, so we'll find alternative ways to fundraise and continue our work, ensuring the farm remains the fantastic, free-to-visit community space it is."