THEY were certainly some double act. In the one corner there was the ample form of Chris Jaeger, in the other, the more sparingly proportioned Esther Blaine.

One was the boss. The other, the loyal sidekick. One was the hardened showbusiness veteran, the other his willing apprentice, eager to learn every trick of the entertainment trade.

One was the middle-aged hustler with the keen artistic sensibilities of a Ballet Rambert choreographer, yet paradoxically equipped with the street cunning of a Stepney barrow boy.

The other started out as a blank sheet of paper ready for the pen of knowledge to descend...

It is almost impossible to resist reaching for the metaphors and hyperbole. It was Robin Hood and Little John, Starsky and Hutch... Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Without doubt, this was a buddy movie to beat all buddy movies... the Huntingdon Story in glorious technicolor.

Most of all, it was probably as unusual a professional collaboration as can be imagined. And there can be no doubt about it - as far as the arts in Worcester were concerned, this was a marriage made in heaven.

The director and assistant director of Huntingdon Arts combined to make a force to be reckoned with...

But all things - sadly - must at some stage inevitably come to an end. For Esther Blaine - the famed Lady In Black, legendary raffle queen, the woman who turned the Huntingdon Draw into an art form in itself, has bowed out after six-and-a-half eventful years.

It would be wrong to say things will never be the same again. They will. Only different.

I pay this homage to Esther because there can be no dispute that during her sojourn at the Huntingdon, she tirelessly matched Chris Jaeger's limitless energy with a sense of verve and panache that she made her own.

She gave her all to the punishing regime demanded by an arts venue that has, for as long as can be remembered, lived from hand-to-mouth. And as a mere observer on the sidelines, I would say that failure was not a word in the collective vocabulary of the Jaeger-Blaine axis.

But there must have been occasions when throwing in the towel must have seemed an attractive course of action.

Worcester should thank God neither of them chose such an option. On any number of levels, that would have been a disaster. But most of all, it would have been a catastrophe for Worcester.

Esther has become a familiar face in The Faithful City. Many citizens - and not just concert-goers - have hailed her as contributing greatly to the many epic struggles to save Huntingdon Hall from closure. This view was echoed by Chris last week as he paid tribute to her efforts. Understandably, the announcement that she was leaving must have come as quite a blow for the Big Man of Deansway.

But although Esther will undoubtedly be a hard act to follow, help has arrived in the form of former Christopher Whitehead High School pupil and Worcester Sixth Form student Rachel Brown.

The 26-year-old is coming from a four-year stint as assistant marketing officer at the Royal Shakespeare Company in London. All this will bode well for the arts in Worcester, for not only is she is widely regarded as an excellent marketing officer, but she arrives at Huntingdon Arts with extensive local knowledge.

There is other welcome news for the Huntingdon, an enterprise that has not been blessed with good fortune down the years.

A total of £109,310 has just been awarded by Worcester City Council to various arts groups and companies, including £20,660 for the Hall.

In a precarious world where everything is relative, this rise by more than £10,000 on last year's hand-out could bring about a crucial change in the venue's fortunes.

The grant will pay for 10 per cent of the Huntingdon's running costs. Just over a week ago, Chris told Evening News reporter John Brenan: "The increased grant to Huntingdon Hall is really, really good news.

"The Hall hosts nearly 200 events a year now and has a huge impact on the economy and cultural life of Worcestershire.

"This goes towards day-to-day things that it is always more difficult to raise funds for, so we're very pleased."

H e is indeed entitled to exhibit a quiet, cautious optimism. More and more shows being staged at the Swan Theatre are boosting the health of Huntingdon Arts by rapidly selling out.

For example, both houses of a current production involving some reputedly amazing physical contortions - no names, no pack drill, the Phillpott File is a family page - were completely sold out.

Chris wrote in his Evening News column on Friday, March 19, that "obviously there is a demand for the show as it sold out quicker than any other show I have staged at The Swan."

He added: "My job is to put on things that people want to see, not what I think they ought to see.

"As we all know in Worcester, theatres close if they cannot pull large audiences. In the end, the key is in the balance of the programming. If we were to stage nothing but male nudity, it would be both irresponsible and incredibly boring.

"But surely it can take its place alongside Shakespeare, Chaucer, ballet contemporary dance, film, musicals and all the other good things to be found at the Swan this year."

I make no apology for this column's support over the last few years for Chris Jaeger and his arts crusade. There was never any other contender when it came to the cultural well-being of this city.

A nd despite the slings and arrows of thwarted ambition, the passage of time has proved me right. I rest my case.

Worcester deserved nothing but the best and that best was always Chris Jaeger and Esther Blaine. Now, Esther has moved on to new pastures, where she will undoubtedly make her very distinctive mark.

He replacement is Rachel Brown. And yes, it will indeed be a hard act to follow. Esther certainly leaves a legacy.

But I am sure that Chris Jaeger and his team will have every confidence in the new recruit.

And I am also quite certain that as Rachel starts her job today - Monday, March 29 - the goodwill of the Faithful City's citizens will be extended towards her in that famed, big-hearted, warm Worcester way.

Rachel, we wish you all the very best. The future starts here.