READERS will notice a sudden absence of dwarfs in the neighbourhood.

Yes, I shouted Oh no there isnt! for the last time this winter on Sunday night, when the pantomime completed its sixty-first performance at the Swan.

And for once, thanks to the flu jab and several tons of vitamins, I had survived the obligatory merry, seasonal bacterial nasties with my voice intact and actually able to shout my denial of the existence of the all-too-visible ghost at my elbow.

On behalf of the splendid group of actors and entertainers involved this year, I would like to thank all of you who came to see us, and enjoyed it enough to tell your friends about it.

This is clearly the case, as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs proved to be the most successful panto since the Swan opened, breaking the previous record set by Cinderella five years ago.

It is very gratifying to see our flagship local theatre going from strength to strength.

I know there will always be people who regard theatre as a luxury that they can do without and complain that the money could be better spent in other ways.

It might just seem a persuasive argument, until you question what it is that we are all here for. If it is simply to be born, eat, sleep, work and shuffle off into oblivion, then maybe they are right.

But the Why spend money on the Arts? argument crumbles when we examine the things in our history of which we are most proud. These are, almost without exception, the architecture, art, literature and drama of past centuries.

Shakespeare, Dickens, Sir Christopher Wren, John Constable and more recently Sir Paul McCartney have left a legacy that will be remembered and valued long after the detail of contemporary political and commercial life has faded.

And the reason is that spiritual and artistic experiences and creations that lift the human spirit make at least a little sense out of the apparent inconsequentiality of the rest of our lives.

Alongside our various religious beliefs, with which they are inextricably linked, the Arts are as much a food for the spirit of humanity as bread and water are food for the body.

All this may sound a little over the top in the context of pantomime, but with the advent of television and home electronic entertainment, panto is often the only live experience that some families have of the performing arts.

If I had a tenner for every person who expressed surprise and joy at their first experience of live entertainment after seeing a panto, I would not be a millionaire exactly, but I would be able to buy you all a large drink!

At a time when town centres are fighting the centrifugal commercial force (and punitive parking restrictions) that propel shoppers to the out of town stores, a theatre can be the vital, beating heart that keeps a town alive at night.

We are so lucky to have ours and I cannot praise highly enough the dedicated and talented staff, backstage and front of house, who have, in most cases, been there since the theatre opened always an indication of a well-run enterprise.

Lets hope our Swan, like the royal bird, is a protected species. To ensure that it is, take a look at what it has to offer theres something for everyone in its programme of shows!

See you there.