Madeley’s Anstice Memorial Hall announces exciting Arts Council funding success:
Madeley’s historic Anstice Memorial Hall, now to be named, simply ‘The Anstice’, opens its doors again in February 2020, after a £1.2 million capital refurbishment project. With an exciting programme of events and activities lined up throughout the year, The Anstice will once again become the heart of the community.
An inviting, fun, accessible and educational place for everyone to enjoy, The Anstice will also develop and grow an interest in the creative arts, offering regular high quality theatre, dance, music activities and performances.
To ensure that the programme of activity is relevant and in demand by people in Madeley, there is a plan to find out exactly what the community will enjoy. To find answers to those questions, we decided we would need some help and are delighted to announce that we have successfully been awarded £14,352 from Arts Council England towards a project to do just that.
To get started, we are inviting a variety of community groups to come and talk with us. By taking part in a series of fun workshops, our community will help us to get a clear idea of how we can best meet their needs, and provide a programme of exciting and inspiring creative activity to suit all. We will then bring professional artists to Madeley to provide inspiring and fun creative opportunities, and to bring The Anstice back to life as a venue for performance, music and dance.
Gemma Aston, Director of The Anstice, will lead the project along with Andrew Woodall, (Library Services and Digital Inclusion Manager for T&W) Psyche Hudson, (Culture & Wellbeing Services Manager for T&W) Charlotte Edwards, (Museum Development Officer for Shropshire and Warwickshire) Paul Watling, (Labour Councillor for Madeley and Sutton Hill and ACT Trustee) Phil Griffiths, (Madeley Town Clerk) and Laura Simcox (Community Outreach Manager for The Anstice). The team will be ably supported by The Anstice’s committed members and volunteers.
Gemma Aston, Director of The Anstice ,said “This is such an amazing opportunity for us to really understand our community and ensure we are offering a programme that not only entertains, but which also inspires interest and engagement in creativity which we know contributes to a sense of wellbeing, empowerment and community pride. We are delighted that the Arts Council chose to fund our project and recognises our genuine ambitions for a creative Madeley.” Gemma and her team are currently developing the programme for 2020. She said “Alongside a fun and varied creative arts programme we are also excited to welcome back our evening bingo sessions and many other classes, entertainment genres and activities that we are confident will appeal to all demographics.”
To kick-start the project, The Anstice is welcoming members of the community to come along to Madeley Library on Friday 13th December from 1pm – 4pm or on Saturday 14th December from 10am – 1pm for a fun, informal workshop session plus a festive drink and a mince pie! Gemma said “These initial sessions will be vitally important to help us begin to understand our community’s ideas, interests and expectations and to find out what we can do to make this happen. If you would like to come along and take part in this exciting project, please contact me on director@theanstice.co.uk or just turn up!”
The Anstice opens officially to the general public on Saturday 15th February 2020 with an entire week of free taster sessions, performances and activities. Find out details of exactly what’s on offer on the events page of the new website www.theanstice.co.uk
