Grant is to take festival to next level (From Ledbury Reporter)

Grant is to take festival to next level

12:50pm Sunday 3rd March 2013 in Ledbury

A £30,000 grant from a major cultural funding body will help take next year’s Ledbury Poetry Festival to the next level, say organisers.

The festival heard its application to the Paul Hamlyn Foundation for money to support innovative and experimental programming has been successful.

The extra funding will allow festival programmers to be adventurous for the 2014 event.

Possibilities include new cross-genre commissions from major artists, work with festivals in other countries, and opportunities to explore different ways of performing and listening to poetry.

Festival director Chloe Garner said: “I am very excited about the opportunity this presents.

“It will enable us to put on events we have only dreamed of doing.

“We have always believed our festival to be the best poetry festival in the UK and now we have the chance to prove it.”

Spokesman Victoria Patch said: “This funding will allow the festival to take programming onto the next level and give its audience a truly exciting experience.

“This is especially good news as Paul Hamlyn Foundation is notoriously difficult to get funding from.

“The foundation supports new and pioneering work and the festival’s success is evidence of both the national and international reputation for excellence and innovation it has developed amongst not only its audience but industry professionals.

“A further reason Paul Hamlyn supported the application is that they recognise Ledbury is a small town with big ideas and is a vibrant, cultural community which actively supports the festival.

“This could really put it on the map."

•  The festival's website can be found at poetryfestival.co.uk.

We previously reported how the old website had disappeared from the internet.