A QUESTION mark hangs over the future of a major fundraising event.

Tetley makes tea and, for the past six years, a small fortune for cancer research.

It was John Wilkinson, one of the Eaglescliffe teabag factory's senior development engineers, who first came up with the idea of sponsored bike rides around the area.

The Tour de Teesside was first launched in 1994. The rides have become a popular June event ever since, raising close to £100,000 for Imperial Cancer Research over the years.

But it emerged yesterday that the cycle rides may have reached the end of the road and may not be repeated this year.

A problem seems to be that most of the original organisers of the rides - a 60km circuit for more dedicated cyclists - a route half the distance for families, have retired from the company.

A Tetley spokeswoman said: "We are reviewing it, we are just looking at all the options. No definite decision has been made."

But a charity insider said: "The situation does seem bleak.''

A cyclist who has taken part in every single Tour de Teesside, said: "I am gutted. I went to the gym as part of my training for it only to learn that it is unlikely to go ahead this year. A lot of people enjoy the event and there are 'veterans' who do it every year. And each year too there is a change of faces."

A spokeswoman for Imperial Cancer Research said: "It has raised a huge amount of money. We have been very grateful and delighted at the support, not only from Tetley but the people have taken part. We don't know where this rumour has come from.

"Obviously, if that situation does arise we would have to get our heads together and think of the best way forward, and will look at all the options that are open to the charity, building on the success we have had up there.

"We rely on people raising money, enabling us to do our research.'