I FEAR a little for the future of the arts at the moment.

Normally, I’m a pretty optimistic sort of chap, but it is increasingly difficult not to get a bit down about the future. Lots of things have come together to conspire against us.

The Olympics are taking huge amounts of money out of the arts – many pools of money, particularly lottery money, has been closed off to us. The Arts Council has had significant cuts and will probably be facing more. Arts trusts, several of which help us significantly, depend on the Stock Exchange for their money, and you don’t need me to tell you how dodgy that is at the moment. Councils are traditionally heavy funders of the arts, and many of them (not least Worcester City Council) are absolutely skint (Arts is not on the list of services that councils legally have to supply and it is not surprising that they are giving priority to those things that they do have to legally provide).

The final blow is you, dear readers. Most of you (and certainly me) are finding our pound is going less far. After we’ve filled the car and the shopping trolley, there isn’t much left to spend on going out. So attendances at venues are falling and therefore ticket sales are down, and also bar sales and raffles.

Times are hard everywhere, and of course in the arts as well, and I fear it will get worse before it gets better.

● Chris Jaeger is chief executive of Worcester Live.