By Annie Stewart
THE hugely popular Comber Soapbox TT has been cancelled due to insurance problems.
Comber Regeneration Community Partnership (CRCP), which ran the Soapbox TT, has announced that because it cannot secure insurance cover for the event it has been forced to abandon plans to stage it in August.
The TT was last staged pre-Covid in 2019 when a crowd of around 7,000 lined the streets to watch home-made soapbox karts career down High Street.
CRCP has hoped to stage the event on August 10 but has now confirmed that the group has been unable to secure insurance which has meant the event will have to be cancelled.
An insurance company had previously agreed to cover the event but due to concerns over soapboxes not being professionally made, the policy was cancelled.
Roy Murray, from Comber Regeneration Community Partnership, said it was disappointing but that they are hoping to host a fun day on August 10 instead.
“In place of the Soapbox TT, we’re hoping to have a fun day at Parkway on the same day with hot food stalls, bungees, inflatables and amusements,” he said.
“We’re hoping to have that instead, we’re finalising details at the minute but we’re hopeful.
“The plan is to get in the larger amusements before 9am and before the Comber Parkrun begins and then the rest of the amusements etc can be set up after 10.30am.
“We want to try to bring the community together by hosting these events, and do something for the whole family.”
Councillor Philip Smith, a director in Comber Regeneration Community Partnership said they were very disappointed to have to cancel the soapbox race but ‘unfortunately we are unable to obtain insurance for the event and therefore had no option’.
“It is a great shame as the inaugural event in 2019 was such a great success, bringing over 7,000 people into the town to watch the races,” he said.
“We had hoped to have secured a solution for insurance to allow us to run the soapbox race again but sadly that door has recently closed to us.
“Despite this disappointment, I would stress that we still have a great programme of events that I hope will be enjoyed by both Comber residents and visitors.
“ Our big outdoor concert at Parkway this year is the multi-award winning ‘Cash Returns’ on Saturday, June 29.
“This well known big band celebrates the music of Johnny Cash and June Carter and tickets can be booked via Eventbrite and purchased at shops in Comber.
“CRCP also runs the Comber Fringe Festival for and on behalf of the Comber community and we would ask anyone who is interested in getting involved to contact us through our Facebook page.”
