The 2020 Glasgow Kiltwalk has been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Following official advice from the Scottish Government, the event, which was set to take place on April 26, will be rescheduled for a later date.

It is hoped that the event with the finishing line in Balloch will go ahead later this year, with a new date to be confirmed.

An email outlining the news was issued, on Friday afternoon, to all 10,000 participants currently registered to take part.

A video message from Sir Tom Hunter was also distributed via email and posted on social media, highlighting that the decision was difficult but necessary to ensure the safety of participants.

Sir Tom also asked participants to keep fundraising to help those who need it most, confirming that all funds raised will still go to charity, along with the 50% top-up from The Hunter Foundation.

Paul Cooney, CEO of Kiltwalk, said: “It was an extremely difficult decision to make, but the health and safety of our participants is our utmost priority.

“Our Kiltwalkers are some of Scotland’s most generous people, and we know they will understand that our decision has been made with their safety in mind.

“We will make sure we keep participants updated with the relevant information as and when it is available. We’ve already had over 500 Kiltwalkers contact us to support our decision and let us know that they’re looking forward to hearing about the new date.”

At this stage, events in Dundee, Aberdeen and Edinburgh later this year are proceeding as planned.

Kiltwalk events are still set to take place in Aberdeen on June 7, St Andrews to Dundee on August 16 and Edinburgh on September 13. Each walk has three distances to choose from to suit people of all ages and abilities.

For more information about the Kiltwalk visit www.thekiltwalk.co.uk.