I was there for the week, and thoroughly enjoyed it all. We have to accept it is a different festival to the one Steve Heap ran. One of the markers of this is very visible in the programme.

Most of the events are now sponsored by local businesses. That does not happen by accident. I used a particular ice-cream parlour (amongst a wide choice) because they sponsored a particular concert. I have more examples but that was one.

Now I remember the controversy of the latter years of Steve Heap when the traders claimed the Festival brought little to the town - and didn't want much to do with it. We have seen a sea change since then.

There will always be complaints - there was the usual letter in the Sidmouth Herald about folkies urinating in the gardens.

One other point - the evening concerts in the Ham seemed to be mostly sell-outs. Although value for money they did not come cheap. Ask a tourist board person how they would like a week of high income visitors like Sidmouth gets. And someone else organises it for them!!