ARTS development officer Nicola Shipley has warned changes will have to made to an annual festival after the "apathetic" response to the 1999 event.

This Saturday brings the curtain down on the six-week Staffordshire Moorlands Festival, which has staged 46 arts events across the district, including nine in Biddulph.

However changes are in the offing for the 2000 festival following criticism of and negative reactions to this year's event.

"There have been a number of positive comments regarding the development of the festival," said Nicola Shipley from the Moorlands council.

"However most have tended to be negative, even to the point of saying 'don't bother' if further development does not take place."

Many people still appeared not to know about the festival despite wide press coverage, she said, and the festival needed more energy.

"Less events and more variety is needed to pull in all sectors of the community, and the events tend to be orientated towards an older population or an existing audience," she added.

"The festival has a general apathy attached to it, which is due to the lack of focus, impact and length.

"Most people consulted believe it should be a summer festival, and for it to develop changes must be made."

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