Having just returned from what has been described as the biggest street party in Europe, I’m pleased to report that I still have the time and energy to fill this newspaper column. Although, I must admit, I only just made the deadline.

At the start of August, the greatest show on earth geared up for its 70thanniversary and the streets of Edinburgh came alive with performers and tourists from the four corners of the world.

For a whole month, the city doesn’t sleep, while more than 3,000 shows take place, with something to suit everyone.

In a few weeks’ time, many of the shows that appeared in Edinburgh will be traveling the length and breadth of the UK to perform.

I have already noticed that Swansea, Llanelli and Carmarthen have pre-booked Edinburgh shows – and you can take it from me that the standard is exceptionally high.

The performing arts and live shows help our economy and instil a feeling of wellbeing among both artists and the audience members. Creative arts are part of the joy of humanity.

But they can so often be overlooked in our current education system in favour of more ‘useful’ subjects such as science and maths. Undoubtedly, there is increasing pressure on young children and schools to achieve outstanding exam results, but, unfortunately, only a few schools see the value of creativity.

Somehow, we need to get the message out there, and to start with, we could all support live entertainment, in all its forms.