Leek Arts Festival

“Weweredelighted by the huge response”

One of the area’s biggest cultural events in the Moorlands returned in May this year as Leek Arts Festival exploded back to life following agap of two years because of Covid-19.

Volunteer organisers had put togethera programme of more than 40 events -nearly half of whichwere on offerfree of charge -including major national and international artists together with local performers.

Events kicked off early in the month with afree performance by the Tri Nations Trio, supported by the Leek U3A African Drummers, which attractedacapacity crowd to the festival’smain venue at theFoxlowe Arts Centre.

That gig was swiftly followed by near sellout performances by -among others Scottish songstressEddiReader,folk-rock godfathers Fairport Convention, madcap musical parodist Scott Doonican and surrealist comic Boothby Graffoe.

Audiences also flocked to see more local talent in the form of Staffordshire-based Climax Blues Band and Leek born and bred jazz flautist Gareth Lockrane, who appeared alongside the Joe Tatton Trio -also from the Queenofthe Moorlands.

And there were more treatsonoffer in the form of afree concert by theRondino String Quartet -staged in the rear yard of Leek’s Wilkes’s Head pub -Bluesand Americana gigs, ska sessions, comedy, fine art and awhole host more.

Leek Arts Festival chairman, Phil Edmeades, said: “Aftertwo years without afestival because of the Covid crisis no one could be sure that the town was ready for it to return. “We had no idea if people wouldbeprepared to support live gigs following such along period of lockdown and the whole thingwas abit of a gamble. “Happily, the gamble paid off and we were delighted by the huge response we got from audiences at all our festival events. “It was as if people had been holding their breath, just waiting for someone to say: “It’s ok, you can come outand enjoy yourselves again.”

Phil added that the2022 LeekArtsFestival had been staged without the need to draw on any public funds, thanks to alegacyreceived by the festival committee.

He explained: “We were very fortunate to receive an amount of moneyinthe will of a former Leek lady who clearly had the best interests of her hometown at heart. “That put us in aposition where we could afford to meetthe not inconsiderable cost of staging and promoting the festival without the need to request financial support from the local town and district councils; or other organisations who have so generously supported us in the past. “Final figures for the overall cost of Leek Arts Festival 2022 have yet to be confirmed,but we expect to be in aposition where we can start planning for LAF 2023 with some money in the bank.”