The Trustees of Whittington Music Festival, held annually in St John the Baptist Church, Whittington, have launched an appeal for funds to save the festival for the future.
According to Rob Greaves, one of the Trustees, the Arts Council has been in the news recently for its decision to stop funding English National Opera in London and Britten Sinfonia in East Anglia.
He said: “Now our own Whittington Festival funding bid has also been rejected, so we’re relying on the public to make sure that the 2023 Whittington Festival happens.
Failing to reach our target of £15,000 will mean there won’t be another Whittington Music Festival. If that turns out to be the case, your donations and subscriptions will be refunded in full. The deadline for donating is Thursday 5 January 2023.”
Whittington Music Festival has been running for ten years and festival organisers have already launched their exciting programme for May 2023 which can be viewed on their website: https://www.whittingtonmusicfestival.org.uk/festival-programme-2023
Says Rob: “If you value being able to access the highest quality culture on your doorstep, please tell your friends of the threat the festival is under, and encourage them to support us too. We have about 600 names on our mailing list so if everyone donates £25 we will be well on the way to our target of £15,000. If you can afford more, £35 will qualify you as a Friend of the festival with a generous range of benefits including open access to rehearsals, an invitation to the meet-the-artists Festival launch party, advance booking for an unlimited number of concert tickets and other delightful perks.”
You can donate using the ‘Make a Donation’ button on the website, or for more details of how you can help to support the festival please contact the Friends’ Secretary.
Find out more: https://www.whittingtonmusicfestival.org.uk/support-us-friends-scheme