AS someone who was raised in Worcester and is now a student of dance and the visual arts I have to say there is little incentive for returning to my home city in order to seek work in my chosen profession.

My sister, a respected dance practitioner living and working in this area, and director of her own dance company has never had the opportunity to show her work in a suitable public performance venue in Worcester.

Similarly my brother, a graduate in Fine Art, shows his work in a studio in Birmingham for lack of studio or gallery space in Worcester.

It is clear that surrounding, smaller places such as Hereford (The Courtyard), and Malvern (Malvern Theatres) actually offer more in the way of visual culture than the City of Worcester, which I find ludicrous.

Where is the Arts Centre for Worcester?

The Mac in Birmingham is a great example of a culturally rich venue with its Arthouse cinema, gallery space, studio space and Theatre, and I believe there is a call for such a place in Worcester city centre.

It's very sad when leading dance companies such as Richard Alston will bypass Worcester because of its lack of facilities. Yes, they perform in Malvern which is close by, but think how many more cultural experiences the people of Worcester are missing out on, from good quality cinema (not found at your local Odeon or Warner Bros) to interesting and diverse performance companies. Worcester really is falling behind in its arts and cultural facilities.

SARAH ALEXANDER, Worcester.