Need for changes if new Ludlow festival is to thrive

Over coffee at Costa in Ludlow's King Street, tongues wag. "The thing is . . ." muse the experts, as they consider the fate of the defunct event. "Yeah, the problem was . . ." "And the people who run the next one ought to do this . . ."

During the late 20th century Ludlow Festival became an integral part of the town's identity. Though the event has now folded, the majority hope that it will return.

There is sympathy towards the hard-working and well-intentioned directors who were unable to save it. But people acknowledge the need for change. They are keen that whoever takes on the running of the new event draws on the professional experience of people with experience of running arts events and major festivals.

Diane Lyle, the chairman of the Friends of Ludlow Festival, has become the focal point. The dynamic, go-getting organiser is popular in the town and many people are keen to support her. She realises, however, that there is an enormous challenge ahead.

The idea of organising a full-scale event in time for 2013 is a non-starter. By this time of year, plans would already have to be in place. Actors ought to have been booked. Budgets should have been agreed. Volunteers should have been signed up. As surprising as it might seem, there's simply not enough time between now and June for the town to pull it off successfully.

So, instead, a more modest event is planned. Ms Lyle said: "We are very hopeful that we can put something in place. We needed to draw breath following the announcement that the festival had folded. But we're now gathering real momentum.

"People are incredibly generous with their time and their money, but we need more support. We need local businesses to get involved with sponsorship. We've raised a few thousand pounds already, which is amazing.

"I sent an e-mail to members of the Friends and within minutes I'd received the first pledge of support. There is tremendous goodwill towards the festival and we must do what we can to create a new event that will survive and prosper. It must be financially viable, we must make i t profitable."

This week, residents in the town discussed what they could do while drinking lattes in Costa Coffee or supping pints at Ludlow Brewery. Behind the scenes, negotiations are on-going between different individuals and different groups. People are working out how to fund the event, who should run it, what format it should take.

Such discussions have been taking place since July. Organisers of the collapsed festival realised they were in trouble and were tireless in trying to save it, negotiating with a number of groups before finally giving up the ghost. They want to strip out the waste, make sure the event is not so vulnerable to bad weather and respect the heritage and traditions of the former festival, which ran for more than 50 years. Anita Bigsby, who ran the festival's fringe event, said: "Ludlow is an incredibly creative town.

"There's a saying locally that if you shake a bush, an artist will fall out of it.

Connected

"I don't imagine there's a single family in Ludlow who isn't in some way connected to the arts, whether it's because a child is part of a dance class, a friend is in an amdram group, a neighbour draws cartoons or a mate plays in a band.

"We need to bring together those diverse talents and capitalise on the goodwill that people have for the arts.

"The fringe event this year was incredibly successful. Everybody was able to get involved – people weren't priced out – and there were plenty of free events.

"We need to build on existing connections and create a new festival that the town can be proud of."

Centuries ago, a familiar refrain in Ludlow Castle was this: The King is dead, long live the king.

In 2012, the new refrain is this: The Festival is dead, long live the festival.