WHO are these Victor Meldrews? Slashing the Swan Theatre budget by half? The Swan has provided an artistic have in a cultural desert for more than 40 years.

You cannot possible quantify all the good it does for the city and its environs.

I am a member of Swan Writers where Jenny Stephens has encouraged new writing and put on plays that have a local background and won the prestigious Pearson Award which usually only goes to playwrights in London.

Many of the writers she has encouraged are going on to radio, television and theatre. The Swan is a real breeding ground for writers for all the arts. It has put new writing on the national map.

Many groups use the theatre's facilities and there is much community work emanating from the theatre.

The theatre fills day and night with children, youth groups, local operatic groups, Kays, amateur theatre, professional theatre. It is truly a regional theatre, unlike many theatres which merely host West End tours.

The Swan was heralded as a beacon of excellence recently and meant West Midlands Arts increased their money. So please, please, please city council - put the budget up, not down.

KATE SHAW,

Bromsgrove.