On Friday 21st September I and my family attended the performance of Motherland at John Masefield High School. We had the privilidge of experiencing a deeply moving and uplifting performance by some very accomplished singers, dancers and musicians, all for the princely sum of £20 for a family of 4. My 9 year old daughter said it was the best event she had ever been to, showing the event to be accessible at all levels.

There were two dissapointments. The trivial one was that there was no bar at the interval (on the plus side,  the soft drinks were provided for an optional donation). The more important point is that the audience numbered only some 20 people, all of whom, by the animated conversations afterwards, appeared to  enjoy the evening immensely. That Ledbury and surroundings could only muster this number to attend a live performance by world-class performers is a shame. That none of the dance and drama students from the school could be bothered to attend is worrying. I will grant that the subject matter (celebrating the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery) may have put off some people who wanted a jolly night out and that the advertising of the event was somewhat low key, but Ledbury should have put on a better show. If these sorts of events are going to come to Ledbury again, they need to be supported.

Maybe you could post why you didn't attend this event, so that the organisers can improve attendance for the next event. Also, some idea of what kind of events you would support would be helpful.