I wasn't able to get to the festival, although I only live up the road, and I really appreciated Genevieve's broadcast on Sunday evening.

One thing that struck me was the lack of knowledge about the event locally. I work in the centre of town and colleagues have been asking what was going on in The Quarry at the weekend. There were a couple of banners up but I saw little else in the way of publicity. I did wonder if it was a strategy to keep a fairly low profile in the first year so that teething problems could be sorted out with a minimum impact on the locals. (I'd be interested to know what the moans were that Guest heard).

The comment about cafes and restaurants being shut rings true. I don't understand why it should be - Shrewsbury is a 'touristy' kind of place and I would have thought there was a chance of people being around at Bank Holiday regardless of the festival. I understand Guests comments about the town lacking charm and welcome - I don't agree but can see that there may be that perception. The Flower Show, a couple of weeks ago, (which is of course well established) had the town buzzing - people come from all over the place and enjoy the ambience of the town.

I think Shrewsbury has needed something like this for years. More power to the Surtees.