The Elgar Festival, one of the county's renowned arts celebrations, is pleading for support amid sweeping arts funding cuts across the nation.

The festival has revealed that funding reductions from Arts Council England (ACE) are significantly impacting its ability to deliver arts projects.

Kenneth Woods, Elgar Festival's artistic director, said, "It's important to start by saying that Arts Council England has been a tremendous force for good in British cultural life for generations.

"That said, the climate is very difficult and this year’s Festival will be getting 40 per cent less from ACE than last year."

Mr Woods added: "ACE is operating under really difficult funding restraints which have built up over more than a decade of standstill revenues.

“But they have also made a number of strategic decisions to shift investment away from traditional artforms into community work, non-traditional artforms, urban renewal and social justice."

Mr Woods also stressed, "All of these are worthwhile endeavours but The Arts Council is the only dedicated state funder of the arts serving English communities and supporting English artists and arts organisations."

The Elgar Festival, celebrating Britain's best-known composer, Edward Elgar, appealed for donations to ensure the Festival's success this year and its future.

People and organisations are urged to contribute towards the Festival through its GoFundMe page.

This year's festival, running from Monday, May 27 till Sunday, June 2, under the theme 'The Origins of Inspiration', will intertwine orchestral, chamber, vocal and choral concerts with exhibits and lectures.

Taking place at various venues across Worcestershire, it will feature an array of internationally renowned guest artists and put Elgar's music alongside some of today's biggest names.

Launched in 2018 by decree of Worcester City Council, the Elgar Festival is traditionally held on the closest weekend to Elgar’s birthday of 2 June 1857.

Since the festival began, it has doubled in size and scale and shared Elgar's music to a wide audience.

For those interested in the Festival, a complete list of events, costs, and booking information is available on the Festival's website.