DOYOYNNG! I can almost hear the arrow thwacking into that tree in the greenwood… yes, the Swan Christmas panto gets going soon, so let’s start ironing those tights.

Robin Hood has always been one of my great English heroes, along with Sir Francis Drake, John Wesley and Toad of Toad Hall. And I can’t wait to see that man in the pointy hat righting wrongs and generally being a handsome devil. Oh yes, I do!

For his Worcester outing, our Robin will be rescuing the babes in the wood from the baddies. Or is it social services? We’ll have to wait and see.

But seriously, the arts are having a lean time of it at the moment. Downturns often translate into fewer ticket sales as people watch the pennies instead of live acts. Nevertheless, Worcester City Council has bravely delivered a massive vote of confidence in the Swan Theatre by providing funding for the impending refurbishment, so we must remain upbeat for the future.

To any critics, I would say just this. Worcester Live director Chris Jaeger saved the arts in this city from extinction. No sane person would ever suggest that Worcester – with its 100,000 population – could exist without its theatre.

There is only person capable of steering us through the present storm and that is the Big Man of the Moors.