This letter to Hamish Birchall.

Dear Hamish

We, the three Chairmen of the Three Choirs Festival, wholeheartedly support your initiative with regard to what is, in effect, yet another stealth tax. The fees proposed would put our festival, held annually for the last 275 years, in the great Cathedrals of Hereford, Worcester and Gloucester, in serious doubt. Thus, the oldest music festival in the world could well cease to be. Given the comparatively small seating capacities of our cathedral venues, there is no way in which we could increase ticket prices. Our associations with orchestras such as the RPO, RLPO, Philharmonia, BSO etc would terminate.

Our Fringe Festivals, which run alongside the main festivals and which successfully involve and encourage all genres of music emanating from the community, would be stifled.

Paul Vaughan
Chairman - The Three Choirs Festival - Worcester 01905 640663