07 Feb 2018 Benalla Ensign, Benalla VIC (General News) Benallas Wall to Wall festival has secured $125 000 in funding from the Victorian Government and a newly appointed committee will ensure it is spent wisely. State Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes was in town last week to make the announcement, which will allow organisers to operate the event for its fourth consecutive year. She met with committee chair Roxanne Demasson, who said the funding was vital to the continued success of Wall to Wall. The funding is essential, it allows us to run the festival the town deserves, Ms Demasson said. The new committee brings a fresh energy to the festival and will continue the fantastic work done for Wall to Wall in recent years. Its such a big thing to volunteer for a festival for a long time. So to have a new team come in is very exciting for the future of the festival. Ms Demasson also confirmed there would be a number of returning artists as well as some new faces. They (the artists) love the festival and its always really heartwarming to hear from them because they love experiencing the Benalla community and love being a part of building this town and making it more vibrant, she said. Ms Symes said the Wall to Wall Festival had made Benalla the regional street art capital of Australia, thanks to the support of the local township and the amazing artworks by leading street artists, and renowned international artists. Im thrilled that Labor is yet again supporting the Wall to Wall Festival in my home town, Ms Symes said. Since its inception I have worked hard to ensure the festival receives government support and its fantastic to see the event grow each year. The festival brings thousands of people to my beautiful home town, boosting the local economy and supporting local jobs. It has reinvigorated Benalla, putting it on the world stage as a leader in street art. This is the first time its been on a long weekend and my understanding is that weekend was chosen to capitalise and attract even more visitors than we have before. The Wall to Wall Festival is something we can all be extremely proud of. Caption Text: Thrilled: Wall to Wall Committee chair Roxanne Demasson, State Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes and Wall to Wall Committee member Shannon Tharratt.Licensed by Copyright Agency. You may only copy or communicate this work with a licence.