Very disappointing news in the Pioneer today, that Conwy's Civic Hall is to close. I would suggest that, as closures of this nature become more widespread due to cutbacks, then it is time for the community to 'step up' and take over these facilities themselves by forming a non-profit group to run them....or lose them for good.
Curtain closes on Conwy Civic HallPublished date: 27 October 2010 | Published by: David WaddingtonCivic Hall by
SnakeCorp, on Flickr
THE closure of a Conwy theatre has been mourned as ‘the end of an era’ by community groups.
Conwy Civic Hall will no longer be accepting bookings after December of this year, with all events already planned to be moved to alternative premises throughout the county.
In a letter to theatre groups and organisations who use the venue, Conwy County Borough Council confirmed the closure would save “at least £20,000 every year” but that the lounge area of the building would still be available during library opening hours.
Rhian Williams, Section Head for Culture and Information, said: “The future of the Civic Hall has been uncertain for many years, however, the decision to close was made in September as one of a number of measures given the current financial climate.
“There are a number of venues available for community use in the town and we will help groups to find the one that most suits their needs.”
Margaret Norwood of Civic Hall Amateur Players (CHAPS) was devastated by the news.
She said: “We’re absolutely dismayed that it’s such short notice. We will get to show our pantomime but we had already started talking about our next show.
“Teenz & Kidz aimed to do their panto in January and the North Wales One Act Play Festival booked their event for March.
“There is nothing like Conwy Civic Hall - it’s an essential community resource. It’s got everything.
"The future of CHAPS is now in question. We’re celebrating our 30th year this year and I’m pushing the fact that this might be our last pantomime because there is nowhere else for us to go.”
Alison Shaw of Conwy Folk Club said the closure marked “the end of an era” and would be “chipping away another little bit of culture” in the town.
Conwy’s popular four-day North Wales Bluegrass Festival may also be affected by the closure of the performance space.
Organiser of the event, Gill Williams, said: “It’s our main venue. With our capricious weather if it poured down with rain for four days we knew we could pack the people in the Civic Hall. It’s probable we will end up with a bigger marquee on our Bodlondeb site, but we won’t have the movement of the people from the site to the town, which is going to have an effect on businesses.
“The Civic Hall is the perfect size with room for 240 people, great lighting, excellent quality of sound - it does what a great little theatre supposed to do. And when it’s full and the music is going it’s got an amazing atmosphere. It really is a shame.”
http://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/94889/your-say-curtain-closes-on-conwy-civic-hall.aspx