Dorset stone bench hillside views of Swanage Bay, chat, debate and discussion about regeneration, music festivals and government waste

Today's bench is on a lovely hillside overlooking Swanage Bay on the South Coast of England where I visited for last weekend's Swanage Folk Festival. It's a lovely spot and a lovely stone bench and you can read the names of the photographers the bench is dedicated to clearly etched into the stone. I'm not a stone expert but I wonder if it is Portland Stone. Perhaps somebody can advise.

Today's topic is about the benefits of music festivals to local communities. I believe that much government money that is spent on capital projects such as building new Council Offices is wasted and a much better return would be produced by simply putting the money into more community led activities of which music festivals are only one option among many.

Regeneration is an issue, it seems, for most communities, especially rural communities or deprived inner city areas. Getting the local community working together on a project such as a festival improves community cohesion, it's fun and brings visitors into an area which benefits local small businesses.

Of course there are those that argue that town music festivals are a nuisance and that their businesses don't benefit and pressure groups are often, over time, formed to oppose music festivals. So there are arguments both ways.

What do you think? Are music or other festivals a better way of regenerating a depressed area or is the answer to put the money into public buildings. Or perhaps there are other answers to improving the economic state of our small towns, rural areas and inner cities.

This virtual stone bench discussion, chat and debate forum is open and I look forward to hearing your views as we gaze out over lovely Swanage Bay in the beautiful South Coast county of Dorset.

Bye for now

Rob

Rob Hopcott - online author