SOUTHAMPTON's Over 50s got into the showbiz mood as they went behind the scenes at the city's Mayflower.

They were given a fascinating insight into the technical wizardry behind the theatre's latest blockbusting production.

During the backstage tour the visitors met the crew behind the Doctor Dolittle show, starring the talented Philip Schofield and his menagerie of animals.

The theatre visit was one of the popular draws of a festival of fun for Southampton's older generation.

And tonight the curtain will be coming down on a record-breaking week for the city's Over 50s Festival.

Now firmly established on the area's social calendar, it has become so successful that it has won national acclaim for keeping its senior citizens young at heart. There is no other city in the UK which stages such a high-profile programme for its over 50s population.

Looking back on the last ten days packed with 74 separate events ranging from line dancing to surfing the Internet festival, organisers have been delighted with the response.

The programme has been tailor-made to appeal to anyone over 50.

Special efforts were made this year to organise some late afternoon or early evening events so those over 50s who were unable to get time off work did not miss out.

And the comprehensive festival menu has been designed to touch on virtually every aspect of city life, including focusing on its rich heritage.

One of the crowd-pulling tours was a visit to the Southampton Hall of Aviation - home of the legendary Spitfire.

There was also an opportunity to dig into the city's past with a tour of the Archaeological Resource Centre and Collections Store.

Coach trip organiser Dolly O'Beirne's phone was red hot as demand for seats for day trips went into overdrive.

She organises about five or six coach trips during the festival week, and deals with more than 400 phone calls.

A festival committee spokesman said: "The 2000 festival has been the most successful so far with events at capacity and many others could have been filled at least five times over."

No sooner has this festival ended than work starts on planning the next one. Organisers would like to find ways of taking the festival out to those, who due to their circumstances, are unable to get out or use public transport.

They believe the best way forward is to have the festival or its various events sponsored, and they would be pleased to hear from any potential sponsor.

The spokesman said: "At present the festival exists, rather like the pensioners, on a very low budget.

"Our current allowance is less than that received annually by a married couple on a basic pension."

He added: "In a perfect world everyone over 50 should have the opportunity to participate but the reality is very different. To expect even more money from the council will mean other popular city events may suffer."

Meanwhile organisers are keen to hear from anyone who has any suggestions for guaranteeing that the festival continues to be a big hit with the city's over fifty-somethings.

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.