AFTER reading your article "Bad review for Arts Centre" (Bury Times March 19) I feel compelled to write in support of Alan Oatey and his team.

Some years ago the Met hosted a large and wide-ranging programme of events, including dance and jazz. Some of these attracted pitifully small audiences, and it was no surprise to read that the Arts Centre was losing money hand over fist. Since then the Met appears to have slimmed down both in staffing and in its number and range of acts. In particular it has focused on folk or roots-based music.

If, like me, you enjoy that sort of music you have a good choice in these parts but our own Met Arts Centre consistently holds its own in this competitive field, offering a strong programme for the last five years. Anyone lucky enough to see the June Tabor Band enthral a packed house two weeks ago will have enjoyed a top-notch musical performance, aided by first-class sound reproduction in an intimate setting. And, thanks to some perceptive marketing strategies, more and more gigs are selling to capacity.

I dare say the North West Arts Board is upset that the Met has narrowed its artistic programme, but you can't have it both ways. I seem to remember reading only last year that the council was cutting its grant to the Met despite a much-improved financial performance.

I attend 10-15 concerts a year at Bury Met, and am rarely disappointed. I think music fans in Bury are lucky to have it as a local venue, and I regularly talk to people at Met gigs who have travelled considerable distances. There is room for improvement, however: the toilet facilities are abysmal, and the bar service is hopeless.

I can't comment on the reported "major weakness" in staffing and management. But in terms of folk/roots programming, the Met is OK by me and for that, if nothing else, Alan Oatey and his staff deserve commendation.

MARTIN SMITH,

Carr Bank Avenue, Ramsbottom.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.