Rose de Wend Fenton OBE and Lucy Neal OBE - Founders, LIFT - London International Festival of Theatre.

To Arts Council of Wales

CPR is recognised as one of the most pioneering and multi faceted centres for performance and research internationally; it is respected across the world and its influence is felt far and wide. CRP's global partnerships with artists, arts organisations , festivals, academics and writers have created a progressive vision of theatre, research and performance practice, one which as Directors of LIFT we welcomed and worked with over the years. Collaborating with CPR it became possible to bring a wider public in contact with influential artists including, amongst others,The Young at Heart Chorus and Rustom Bharucha.

Through its presentations, training, publications and conferences CPR has consistently been a touchstone of innovation, intellectual and artistic integrity. It is a valuable artistic, academic and community resource, a huge asset to Wales, the UK and beyond. To jeopordise all this is a folly and does not make sense, particularly when the Arts Council of Wales itself acknowledges what "a vital and prestigious player" CPR is in the arts in Wales. To withdraw a relatively small - given the ambitious projects CPR delivers - grant , smashes the fragile and carefully balanced ecology of funding and activity. Project funding can never begin to replace the certainties of an annual grant. Without Arts Council regular funding the organisation will unravel and a tremendous body of expertise and intellectual capital gathered together in one place will be lost. We urge you to reconsider, and to reinstate CPR's funding.

Rose de Wend Fenton OBE and Lucy Neal OBE,
Founders, LIFT - London International Festival of Theatre.