Letter: The money for the Baylis dream

Sir: Peggy England (letter, 29 February) queried the costs of running Sadler's Wells and suggested that in the 1930s all the money came from the box office. This is not so. Lilian Baylis struggled against all the odds to keep Sadler's Wells open, while many artists worked for love or little better to keep her dream alive. Major public appeals were mounted in the 1930s to build the Sadler's Wells Theatre and clear later debts.

Sadler's Wells has always fulfilled the Baylis mission of providing seats at prices the people can afford. The average ticket price in 1995 was pounds 10.70. We earn over pounds 3m a year ourselves and grant aid totals only pounds 190,000.

Ian Albery

Chief Executive,

Sadler's Wells,

London EC1