AN Evesham amateur dramatics group has lost funding from the town council after taking its performances outside the town boundary.
Members of the council’s promotions committee have refused to hand over the remaining £642 of an original £3,500 grant to the Evesham Festival Players.
Town clerk Frank Green explained that the grant application was approved on the condition that the group’s performances were held in the town centre and as that was not the case last year, the ‘players’ had not fulfilled their obligation and members decided not to award the remaining funding.
Mr Green said: “The agreement was that they would hold two plays in the town centre and ‘cinema in the park’ but the plays took place at Evesham Country Park which is actually in the parish of Norton and the cinema in the park never materialised at all.
“We believed that the plays would be brought back into the town centre next year but when it was made clear that they would remain at the country park it caused some consternation among the councillors.”
At Monday’s meeting Cllr Andrew Dyke said: “I am concerned that these performances have not been in the town and have expressed my disappointment with that before.”
Cllr Jim Bulman was in agreement adding: “By taking the performances outside of the town boundary I don’t think they have held up their part of the bargain, so I don’t believe they should be given the money.”
The Evesham Festival Players have indicated that they will attempt to hold an Arts Festival in July next year as well as productions of Under Milk Wood and Canterbury Tales.
