Festival to linkup with schools

Around 100 people gathered at Rye Community Centre to hear the good news that the 2013 festival made a profit which covered a short-fall from the previous year.

The Festival has been going for more than 40 years.

Andy Stuart, from the festival committee, said: “Work on the 2014 Rye Arts Festival, from September 12 - 28, is already well underway and will feature classical and contemporary music folk, jazz, blues and Irish, literary talks, comedy, theatre, guide themed walks and other special events.

“The Festival is building on the work it already does with Rye’s Schools with new initiatives in 2014.

“It plans to forge closer links and have greater involvement with the new Rye Studio School and its students, including inviting two students to committee meetings so they can be involved in the behind-the-scenes work that goes into setting up and running the Festival.”

Last year 40 paid for Festival events were attended by around 4,000 people.

Festival chairman Chairman Ian Graham-Bryce Ian thanked Anne Owen who stood down after four years unstinting service as Honorary Secretary, and members elected Ann Ullman as her successor. All other Committee Members were re-elected.

Following the formalities, street magician Bertie Pearce entertained with some card tricks and other sleight-of-hand magic.

Details of the 2014 Rye Arts Festival, which will be updated as the programme is confirmed, can be found on the website: www.ryeartsfestival.co.uk.