DERBYSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL COMES TO THE RESCUE OF BUXTON FESTIVAL FRINGE

PRESS RELEASE: For immediate release June 29th 2006

Derbyshire County Council has come to the rescue of Buxton Festival Fringe, which was hit badly this year by High Peak Borough Council's decision to withdraw its £2000 annual grant after twenty years of regular funding and without notice.

The County Council responded to pleas from Fringe chair John Wilson and has awarded the Fringe a £1,000 one-off grant from its Small Arts Grant Fund.

Wilson responded: 'We offer our heartfelt thanks to Derbyshire County Council for coming to the rescue of the Fringe. God bless them. This means we can embark on this year's Fringe in confidence. It is great to have a bit of a cushion while we replace the money we lost from the Borough Council.'

The funding crisis has resulted in a welcome increase in the number of Friends who have signed up to support the Fringe. Some 83 people have now joined the Friends, enjoying a ten percent discount on tickets for shows and free entrance to the new Fringe Club in the process. 'We are very grateful to the people of Buxton and beyond who have shown their support, and we hope people will continue to do so', said Wilson.

The Buxton Festival Fringe kicks off this Friday July 7 with the biggest Fringe ever. Pick up one of the widely available Fringe programmes or see the Fringe website on http://www.buxtonfringe.org.uk for full details. From July 7 you can also visit the Fringe Information Desk, open from 10am to 4pm during the Fringe and situated at the entrance to the Pavilion Gardens next to the Opera House. During the dates of the Fringe there is a dedicated phone line for enquiries 01298 214184.

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