A WEST Somerset entrepreneur, who bought 100 concert tickets so that local schoolchildren could listen for free to a top musician, has accused state schools of “shamefully letting down our children” after not one headteacher responded to the offer.
However, a number of schools contacted by the Free Press were baffled by the accusation and said they had not seen the offer.
The businesswoman, who wants to remain anonymous, paid for the tickets to be given away for schoolchildren to hear top violinist Tasmin Little play live on July 15 in Taunton.
But when concert organisers sent information about the free tickets to local primary and secondary schools on behalf of the businesswoman, only private fee-paying schools responded.
“Not one headteacher at a state-funded school between Williton and Taunton even had the courtesy to acknowledge our emails and letters,” said Jo Moore, of concert organisers TA1 Festival.
“Yet all we were asking them to do was notify parents about the free tickets and how to claim them.
“We also offered financial help with transport costs, enabling low-income parents to accompany their children to the concert.”
However, schools contacted by the Free Press were baffled by the accusation.
One school said it receives well over 150 marketing emails a day, and most said they just had not seen the offer. Another school said it saw an email but this was followed by another which said the offer was a hoax, and should be ignored.
The organisers mentioned they had also sent a personally addressed letter at Easter time to the headteachers, but one school confirmed the head mentioned had not been at the school for two years.
A spokesman for Wiveliscombe Primary School said: “Staff and the head have looked through their emails and can’t see anything.
“Our sincere apologies. The school would be happy to accept some tickets – it’s very kind of the businesswoman and we thank her very much.
“We will be contacting the organisers,” she said.