AFTER 15 years of successful work involving thousands of people in projects all over West Devon, arts organisation The Wren Trust is facing the total withdrawal of its funding from the borough.

The proposal to scrap the £4,000 grant means a threat now hangs over the Okehampton-based Trust's future work in West Devon including the internationally recognised Baring Gould Festival.

Co-founder of the community folk arts association Paul Wilson said the grant was used to lever other money into the borough and this year it had brought in £31,000.

'Without the small "start-up" grant from the borough council it will result in the area losing all this money next year,' he said.

The ethos of the Wren Trust, which works across the county, has been to stimulate active participation in and enjoyment of traditional music and related arts, thereby helping to discover their own creativity and address issues which are relevant and important to them.

Mr Wilson said each year the trust had received a grant from West Devon and worked to an agreed programme which it delivered to a high standard, developing local communities, building sustainable skills and contributing in a major way to the cultural identity of the borough.

'There has been no question about the quality of our work — quite the opposite in fact,' he said. 'We have had letters praising our work from schools, community organisations and individuals, which is why it is so devastating.

'We realise that the council is under pressure but feel it is unfair and ill-advised to let the axe fall on an arts project which had such a long and impressive track record.'

Two of the organisation's latest successes have been its millennium project '2000 Voices' bringing choirs and budding singers from all over Devon together for a performance at the Plymouth Pavilions and The Baring Gould Folk Festival. It developed from the rediscovery of the traditional songs collected by the late Rev Sabine Baring-Gould, of Lewtrenchard.

Over the years, Wren Trust projects have spawned their own self sufficient arts organisations and events such as the Sticklepath Fireshow and the Red Spider Theatre Company.

Mr Wilson said the organisation would now have to consider moving all its work to North or East Devon where it was always in demand and received small grants from the local authorities.

West Devon Borough Council's strategic development committee, which took a decision last month to cease grant funding to the Trust, has requested a report on the 2001/2 arts budget and agreed to discuss the matter again in six months' time.

Cllr Nick Waterhouse said it was felt the Trust's work in West Devon was very localised and did not deliver the same value for the borough as other arts projects for which the money could have been taken.

But Cllr Darch said the council should be supporting its own arts group and such events as the Baring Gould Festival brought a lot of people into West Devon.

'From an arts and tourist angle it would be terrible if this was lost to West Devon,' he said.