ORGANISERS of an Oxfordshire music festival cancelled because of poor ticket sales hope to return next year to raise £1m for the armed forces.

It was hoped Festival for Heroes would raise funds for the Royal British Legion (RBL), which supports veterans, their dependants and the families of servicemen and women.

However, the festival – due to be held at Blenheim Palace on Saturday, June 20 – has been axed.

It was expected to attract 30,000 people to the palace grounds in Woodstock, but it was reported that only half the tickets sold.

Festival director Jack Knowles said the poor ticket sales for the one-day event had forced the decision.

The festival website – festivalforheroes.com – said the music event would return next year and will meet its £1m fundraising target.

Mr Knowles said: “We had a great line up of artists, a great location, and a great cause.

“What we didn’t have was a great box office.”

The line up included artists such as Lulu, Gabrielle, The Automatic, Ironik and Blake, with tickets priced at £39.

Mr Knowles said all customers would be fully refunded.

He added: “We’d hoped to raise over £1m for Armed Forces families, so it is very disappointing, everything was done to make it a success.

“We’re extremely grateful to everyone who stepped forward to support this event. It showed that everything was right, apart from the economic recession.”

Russell Thompson, the RBL’s director of national events and fundraising, said: “Much as we tried to help this event to succeed, we have to be realistic.

“It’s a tough year to launch a breakthrough festival.”

The Armed Forces charity will not lose any money, other than that spent promoting the festival.

Mr Thompson added: “With one in six of the UK population having a direct services connection, we still feel the idea has merit.”

Earlier this year, it was announced that the Indie Guitar Festival – due to be held at the same time as Oxfordshire’s Truck, from Friday, July 24 until Sunday, July 26 – was cancelled due to the economic climate.

For a refund on tickets for Festival for Heroes, call the customer service line on 0871 220 0260 or visit seetickets.com news@oxfordmail.co.uk