Ottery St Mary’s Pixie Day has been cancelled because of the coronavirus - but may still take place later in the year.

The event was due to take place on Saturday, June 20, and the preparations would have been made around now.

But with lockdown in force, the chairman of the Pixie Day committee, Richard Coley, said he was ‘very sad’ to have to announce that Pixie Day will not happen this year, for the first time since 1978.

The quirky annual event sees local children from the Brownies, Beavers, Cubs and Rainbows groups re-enact a local legend.

They play the part of the pixies who were said to have tried to prevent bells being installed in Ottery church, because they could not bear the sound of the ringing.

Mr Coley said: “As there is no bell ringing at the moment, there is no point in the pixies trying to catch the ringers, as there is no one there.”

He also said Pixie Day may still take place in September, depending on how the situation develops.

“It will be different then, because the evenings are darker,” he said.

“We hope it will happen then, but if not, it’ll be next year.

“We’ve got a very good committee, and we get a lot of help from the town.”