Last month, I spoke in a debate about the future of the grassroots music industry.

Faced with huge pressures - with both rising financial costs and declining footfall major factors - it has been estimated that two venues are being forced to close their doors every week.

I said that, if we cannot support the industry and reverse the current trajectory, it could put the game-changing music scene we have in Ipswich at risk.

It could also mean that the upcoming generation of artists will lose their opportunity to perform, and we, in turn, will lose their talent.

Perhaps we would also miss out on discovering the next Ed Sheeran, Suffolk’s most successful musical export.

Earlier this week, I joined Ed himself for a very special homecoming gig, alongside the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Lisa Nandy, and hundreds of Ipswich schoolchildren at The Baths.

I have written in these pages before about my love for Brighten the Corners, who run the hugely successful summer music festival alongside three ground-breaking music venues which play host to a brilliant array of artists.

Growing up in Suffolk, I could have only dreamt of Ipswich being the home of Britain’s most up-and-coming indie music scene - now we are.

However, the special thing about Brighten the Corners is that they don’t simply put on gigs - they are totally invested in offering pathways into the music industry too. 

Ed and Lisa’s visit helped showcase education and careers in the creative arts. Brighten the Corners, through their New Gen and Tune Up teams, demonstrated all the training, education and volunteering opportunities they offer, not simply for performing artists, but also for the incredible range of backstage roles too.

Taking Ed and Lisa on a tour of their venues, Brighten the Corners were keen to underline how their ecosystem - from the Smokehouse, to St Stephen’s Church, to the Baths - helps support young people in learning the skills they need through their varied programme of live music events.

The visit culminated with a secret gig in front of pupils from across Ipswich.

The kids had no idea that Ed was going to be playing, and the place EXPLODED when he walked on stage and played three of his hits (with a Q&A sandwiched in between).

He finished with ‘Castle on the Hill’, an ode to Framlingham, Suffolk. Ed might now be one of the world’s biggest superstars, but he has never forgotten his roots.

I joked with Lisa that I was going to have to apologise to Bridget Phillipson, the Secretary of State for Education.

Only a few weeks before I had welcomed Bridget to Ipswich as she announced a major initiative to drive up school attendance, and here we were on a Tuesday afternoon, watching an Ed Sheeran gig alongside a few hundred school children!

However, this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience those kids will never forget. In years to come, they will be able to say ‘I was there’. 

For me, the visit reiterated two key truths. 

Firstly, that the creative arts are crucially important to a child’s education and must be accessible to everyone, irrespective of background or circumstance.

 They are an indispensable part of a child’s learning and development, and a vehicle for aspiration, opportunity and for social mobility.

Secondly, it hammered home that even a curriculum committed to music - including contemporary music - and to the creative arts cannot be confined to the classroom; creative arts must be taught creatively too.

Tuesday may have been life-changing for some of those kids who are now inspired to reach that stage. It is up to us to give them the pathway to do it.