CENTRE STAGE with Chris Jaeger of Worcester Live
9:31am Friday 21st March 2008
I went to Theatre Hafren in Newtown, Powys to see the Welsh final of the Welsh Young Farmers' entertainment competition. I knew what I was going to get, and I was in no way disappointed. As I pulled up to the theatre there was the familiar sight of loads of horse boxes and livestock wagons that had brought all the scenery for the various teams. Unusual but effective.
Inside the theatre the atmosphere was electric. The theatre holds 650 people, and how many tickets do you think they'd sold? 650! And for the Saturday night? 650! And for the night before, the Young Farmer Public Speaking competition? 650! Something on from Monday to Saturday and every one a sell-out. I was chatting to two women who had queued up from 10pm on the Sunday night to get tickets for that night when the box office opened at 10am on the Monday morning. Now you might do that for Robbie Williams or Tom Jones, but the Young Farmers? What's that all about?
It's about large numbers of young people doing something creative and really worthwhile to a very high standard, with the support of the whole community. And it was fantastic.
l Chris Jaeger is chief executive of Worcester Live