TENBURY Wells Festival is to be cut to four or five days and held every two years instead of annually.

The decision to reduce the event's length and frequency was taken at last month's Festival Association AGM when members decided a shorter biennial event would be preferable to maintain local interest.

There are no plans to change the food festival.

Association chairwoman Anita Stanley pointed out that in spite of a £900 loss on this year's event, the decision had not been taken on financial grounds and that there was still a healthy balance in the accounts and a committed audience.

"Our aim is to continue to produce a festival of music and art for everyone, but it does take a lot of commitment and hard work by a small working committee for most of the year," she explained.

"It is an uphill struggle keeping up enthusiasm for seven or eight days of varied entertainment and it is important to remind people that Tenbury is surrounded by annual festivals like Ludlow, Leominster and Bewdley.

"These also attract our audiences and the time has come to consider ways to move forward,"

The association is now organising a survey , forms for which will be available in the library and which will give people the chance to tell organisers what they would like to see in future festivals.

While the majority of events during this year's event were very well received, audience figures were on the low side.

Committee members also felt that the days of sell-out lookalike tribute shows were over and more thought will be given to future programming.

The next festival is scheduled for 2006, with four or five days of entertainment stretched over a weekend.

The Food Fair proved a great success, despite some criticisms that there were too few local suppliers represented compared to those exhibiting under the banner of the Heart of England Tourist Board.

l THE AGM saw the election of Leominster librarian, Felicity Beaumont, on to the festival committee. She joins artist director Jane Bull, Wilma Hayes and Martin Hackett (publicity) and Jim and Christine Low (treasurers).