I WENT to the closing bash for the Tower Arts Centre. True to form, John Tellet and his team put on a fantastic show.

The spring programme has been the usual roaring success with most of the shows sold out and over 4,000 people enjoying the various events. On behalf of many thousands of people that have benefited from the rich tapestry of activities hosted over the last 40 years of the Tower, I would like to thank John and his team for their dedication and inspiration.

John has been the driving force behind the Tower for nearly 40 years and he is a huge loss to the Winchester arts scene. I wish him and the rest of the team the best of luck in their future careers.

A lot of Winchester city councillors, from all political sides, are still very angry that the Tower was transferred to the school after the county obtained a commitment of around £1m from the city council to the Discovery Centre.

The Ashcroft Art Centre in Fareham was saved a few weeks ago after Gosport Borough Council threatened to withdraw its funding to the Discovery Centre. If only our city council had the same courage to take on their political allies at the county!

Last December Councillor Ken Thornber said that he would ensure the continuation of an evening programme, focussing initially on the Tower. It is now clear that there will not be a summer evening programme for the first time in nearly 40 years and a lot of people feel let down yet again by the county council.

While this is disappointing, the recent announcement of Ben Ward as the new co-ordinator is good news and I wish him the best of luck.

ALISTAIR MARSDEN, Winchester.