A HEREFORDSHIRE tradition familiar to many who grew up in the county is set to come to an end in its eighty-fifth year.

Herefordshire Performing Arts Festival began in 1930 and, with the exception of the years during the Second World War, has remained an annual event since.

All genres of music, speech and dance have been presented at the festival, which has for many years given performers of all abilities a professionally adjudicated platform for their art form.

Over the years, it has given employment to hundreds of professionals and filled many local venues.

Recent years have seen solo, choral and orchestral entries topping 1,000, with over 2,000 performers taking their places on the stage.

And this year is no exception, with 1,140 entries received, seven venues booked and nine professional adjudicators standing by.

But, festival organisers have confirmed, mounting financial pressures mean this year's festival will be the last.

"Herefordshire Community Council, under whose auspices the festival is organised, made a conscious decision some years ago to support any deficit made by the festival," a festival spokesperson said.

"But having no core funding, the capital has now been expended, so Herefordshire Community Council will close at the end of March and with it, the festival.

"In recent years, the late Mrs. Elizabeth Bennett, who was, for many years, a Festival Committee member, donated many thousands of pounds to make up the annual deficit and together with local organisations, companies and individuals, ensured that the festival would stay alive a little longer.

"But now Herefordshire Community Council has come to the end of its life span of almost 100 years - it gave life to many organisations and charities, with the Festival being one of its major events each year.

This year's festival, which kicked off on March 24, will run until March 30 at various venues around the city, and organisers are keen to ensure it is an event to remember.

For more information, visit www.herefordfestival.org. For tickets, contact the Courtyard Box Office on 01432 340555