Motherwell Strathclyde Park previously hosted the major Scottish music festival, T in the Park, until 1996, when it was moved to a disused airfield in Balado, Kinross-shire. It has also hosted other music festivals such as Retrofest. Modern authors Des McAnulty and Mark Wilson have written novels of critical acclaim which are based in the town (LIFE IS LOCAL, McAnulty) and neighbouring town Bellshill (BOBBY'S BOY, Wilson). Motherwell is the headquarters for both North Lanarkshire Council, which is one of Scotland's most populous local authority areas, and of Police Scotland "Q" division. These organisations cover an overall population of 327,000 people
Gregynog Music Festival Kerry, Montgomery and Shrewsbury as well as at Gregynog Hall itself. Gregynog Music Festival Gregynog Music Festival, or Gŵyl Gregynog in Welsh, is the oldest extant classical music festival in Wales and takes place each summer at Gregynog Hall in the village of Tregynon, near Newtown, Powys, mid-Wales. In its present form, Gregynog Festival has been running annually since 1988 but it is a revival of festivals held at the same venue from 1933 to 1938 by Gwendoline and Margaret Davies, major patrons of the arts in Wales. The original Festivals were directed by the composer and organist Henry Walford