Concern as Wellington Literary Festival hit by low turnouts

Poor marketing and advertising has been blamed, with Wellington mayor Phil Morris-Jones angrily branding it "not good enough" at a town council meeting on Tuesday night.

Wellington Town Council clerk Karen Roper revealed the attendance figures for some of the events so far.

She said just eight people attended a talk by local author Paul Costello at Wellington Library on October 5.

A planned event in the town's Civic Hall featuring Birmingham Poet Laureate finalist Kurly McGeachie on Saturday had to be moved at the last minute to the more public library because no-one had turned up, the meeting heard.

It eventually attracted a crowd of 14 thanks to the last-minute arrival of a family from Dorrington.

A talk by Patrick Quirk on the origins of Wolverhampton Wanderers drew a crowd of just 17 at AFC Telford on Monday night. And even though a 'Rule Britannia' concert at All Saints Church last Friday was described as a "real hit" by Mrs Roper, she conceded the numbers were well down on last year.

In terms of events still to come, only one has sold out – Lesley Smith's presentation of Boudicca at Wrekin College Centenary Theatre on October 19.

Just 46 tickets have gone so far for a talk by writer, broadcaster and former EastEnders actor Tom Watt in the 250-capacity Wrekin College Memorial Hall tonight. And there are only 79 confirmed attendees for the talk by the festival's headliner, journalist and writer Polly Toynbee, at the same venue on Monday.

Speaking at the town council meeting, Mrs Roper said: "The total take-up a little low; it is a worrying state at the moment."

Councillor Cindy Mason-Morris and Councillor Lee Carter both said the council needed to be more pro-active on social media to reach larger groups of people.

The festival programme is at www.wellington-shropshire.gov.uk/wellington-literary-festival-2015/

A talk by novelist Robert Rankin on Friday has been cancelled due to ill-health.