The children of the blue team (stepping out) have become such great friends we had a Christmas party at my house for them. They wanted to do a performance for the parents as they are all performing children. I must admit with the ½ hour they had to practise I thought it would be dire. They came down stairs and they performed we will rock you and by God they did, it was unbelievable! Their voices and performance skills are incredible and we were privileged to witness it. I did say I would do something to help, because we cannot let so much local talent go to waste and I feel if we where talking about football we wouldn’t be.

My 70 year father in law had never been to a musical production until he saw his granddaughter in “stepping out” and he said he would have gone to see it with out her in it. He enjoyed it so much!

We don’t need to preach to the converted we already appreciate the talent we have locally, but how can the Arts council withdraw funding? We will never reach the unconverted, my father in law along with many who visit Derby playhouse do not go to London theatres, the funding is needed here in the East Midlands so the talent does not have to go farther a field, isn’t it better to fund projects like this which keep child off the streets than funding projects when it becomes imperative to do so?

Please did the correct and decent thing and give the Derby playhouse the ear marked money, so they can carry on with quality and entertaining theatre productions, as well as their youth projects, which give local people the opportunity they deserve!