The point is, Bedazzled, that Steve Heap said publicly that Mrs. Casey Music took eighteen months to arrange each festival, so there was a continuous overlap.

It is also true that, by the time the organisation had been put together, Sidmouth 2005 was organised in about seven months, not one year as you stated.

I have been told that 2005 covered all costs with some cash left over for 2006, but you would have to ask the organisers if you wanted confirmation.

As for Sidmouth traders, it seems that they did benefit from the festival being centred in the town rather than pulling people away to the arena. They certainly seemed very happy with it, and , as a group, they put considerable financial backing into the kitty.

Lastly, less professional is IMHO a harsh judgement given the time constraints, and the fact that one of the leading figures is the man who has organised Rochester Sweeps these many years. You could hardly call him an amateur.

Don T.