I was appointed co-director of the Baylis programme at English National Opera in 1985. We commissioned A Small Green Space. The libretto was written by Fay Weldon (Obituary, 4 January), with music by Ilona Sekacz. It was the first community work staged by a major UK opera company. We toured six towns and cities: Basildon, Bury St Edmunds, Barrow-in-Furness, Buxton, Glasgow and London. At each venue, the professional cast was joined by a large community chorus of young people.
The true story was about a lad called Lester, whose mother was ill. He undertook a campaign to prevent the building of a lavatory cleaning centre for the Channel tunnel link on Wormwood Scrubs, which was home to a threatened species of insect. After a struggle with bureaucracy, the insects were relocated and, in principle, Lester had won his battle.
Fay asked me, after the tour was completed, what the cost had been. It was about £100,000. Fay, with her infectious flair and warmth, declared: “A snip. An absolute bargain.” This was her only libretto. It was sharp, clever, and covered, ahead of their time, both ecology and mental health issues. It was a privilege to meet and work with her.
David Sulkin
London
• My early years as a literary journalist in the 1980s coincided with the rise of the publicity tour, when authors, however shy, were expected to promote their books at book festivals and other events. Fay Weldon, certainly not shy, was always happy to oblige. When I last saw her, at a book day organised by Good Housekeeping, I asked what she was writing. “Oh,” she said, “I’m not writing anything at the moment. I am being a writer.”
Emma Dally
London
