THE group that provides Ludlow’s annual mid-summer arts festival has secured support from the town council.

Although it is known as ‘Ludlow Fringe’ and established in 2012, the group now masterminds the summer arts festival.

This follows the decision of a commercial group that used to run the festival to withdraw because it could not make it pay.

The arts festival in the middle of the summer attracted an estimated 10,000 spectators in 2016 with nearly half the tickets told to people in the immediate area of the town and 60 per cent to those within 10 miles of Ludlow.

While attracting performers from outside, the festival has become more community-based with a ceiling set on most ticket prices to make it affordable to locals.

But the set-piece Shakespeare play in the grounds of Ludlow Castle with big-name performers has become a thing of the past although smaller and more localised performances of the work of ‘the Bard’ continue to feature.

Ludlow Town Council agreed to support in full the grant application for £2,000.