A MAJOR final push is needed in the next few days to turn the Ludlow Fringe Festival into a stunning success.
Anita Bigsby, Fringe Festival director, said that the next three days that run up to the grand finale on Sunday are crucial.
She added that if the event's final few days, that include major events on Saturday and on Sunday evening, go well if could make all the difference and leave the festival with money in the pot to help push ahead for next year.
This year has seen the Fringe having to step into the shoes of the traditional Shakespeare based Ludlow Arts Festival that ended in 2014 because it could not make money.
“We have definitely done better than last year and a number of the events have been a sell out which is great,” said Ms Bigsby.
However, she did say that sales for the final weekend have initially been slow but this could be partly explained by the tendency for people to buy tickets late.
“We have been leafleting in the town and doing all that we can to provide a final late push," Ms Bigbsy added.
Running in tandem with the Fringe has been the Festival of Classical Music at St Laurence's Church.
Shaun Ward, one of the organisers of the programme and the musical director at St Laurence's, described the classical music event as a success that has become established despite sales being slightly down on 2014.
He hinted that it might be better in the future if the fringe and music festivals took place at different times in the year.
“We've now established ourselves as a serious part of the West Midlands music scene,” Mr Ward said.
“All performers have praised the excellent and inspiring acoustics of the church.
“High quality classical music isn't cheap and we need all the support we can muster if we are to continue and grow in strength.
"We're very grateful to this year's supporters including FOLA, Treasure and Sons, Milichope Foundation and Ludlow Town Council, as well as individual sponsors.
“Plans are already in place for next year's programme and we hope other arts promoters will avoid clashes with our dates in the first week of the Fringe.
“We have learnt some valuable lessons as we continue to grow and sold nearly 700 tickets which is tremendous, but not quite as many year which was nearly a 1,000.
“After all Ludlow isn't that big, it's crucial that everyone works together; it’s not in anyone's interest to have double or triple events at the same time.”
The traders in the town will be doing their sums when the final curtain falls on Sunday evening to determine how much extra business the three weeks of events have brought into Ludlow.
It will also be a big day for shops in Ludlow on Saturday (July 4) when they join the national ‘Independent’s Day’ campaign to remind shoppers of the importance of retaining small shops that are not part of national or international chains.
The message is that there are some great shops offering top service but shoppers need to ‘use them or lose them.’