WHEN the curtain fell on last season's events at the Guild Hall in Preston, the finale was a £60,000 deficit.

And two events alone - The Three Musketeers and a series of eight concerts from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra - lost almost £50,000, with several other shows losing smaller sums.

The final figure is a huge drop from 1995/96 figures which showed a profit of more than £40,000.

But Guild Hall bosses blame the results on several reasons including an overspend on the staff's wages and fewer lettings for events like the British Open Bowls Championship which didn't take place as expected.

Brian Manning, director of Preston's leisure services, said risks had to be taken with some events to provide a range of theatre and arts for all audiences.

"Last year's pantomime figures were disappointing - it usually helps us break even at least - and costs of providing orchestral concerts have gone up nationwide with lower attendances," he said.

"This season we have negotiated a better deal with the Philharmonic Orchestra, and subscriptions to the new orchestral series are already hitting targets.

"Next year, we have the superb production of Joseph and an excellent pantomime. The programme has only just come out and the response in ticket sales is already tremendous.

"I think this is the most exciting programme in a long time. We are looking forward to more positive results next year."

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