News

After 9 months of renovation, the inside of The Anstice is completely unrecognisable and is shaping up beautifully. It all looks so smart and bright! Long gone are the dark tobacco stained walls and ceilings and the grubby carpets, instead, the archways have been opened up and the tiled floors uncovered, with sleek bifold doors and generous lighting; its going to be stunning!

The café kitchen is due to be installed over the next few weeks and new lighting will replace the previously non- existent stage lighting for the ballroom. The bar is nearly complete and all the walls are plastered ready for their final coat of paint.

Our new Food and Beverage Manager has been appointed and he starts in earnest on January 6^th. He has a wealth of experience and is really excited about getting stuck in and joining the team. We are delighted to have him on board.

We are so excited to be able to finally welcome our community back into the building and are hoping that our Grand Opening Community day will be a huge success on the 15^th Feb. If you haven’t booked a place at the evening event, get in touch with Gemma and let her know how many places you want. Its all free of charge and will be a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the hard work and support that you have all given over the last few years.

From all of the staff, trustees and volunteers at The Anstice we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

By way of a HUGE thank you to our community and supporters from Madeley Town Council, Telford and Wrekin Council and The Anstice Community Trust we are delighted to offer a whole week of events and activities for all ages…More info on: Events Page

Saturday 15^th February: 10am – 4.30pm

Come and join us for a day packed full of FREE performances, demonstrations, workshops and activities for all the family.

• Storytelling
• Craft workshops
• Music hall performances
• Abraham Darby Show Band
• History exhibition
• Art installation

Saturday 15^th February: 7pm – 10.30pm

A fun filled evening of celebration with live music from

The Rock and Roll Jukebox Band.

(Book your free tickets with Gemma Aston via email director@theanstice.co.uk 

or phone 07483 370257)

Some of the events happening the rest of the week……

Monday 17^th – Community Partners Day

Tuesday 18^th – Circus Workshops (FOC but must book)

Wednesday 19^th – Disco Daddy (FOC but must book)

Thursday 20^th – Tea Dance (FOC but must book)

Saturday 22nd February

PEAKY BLINDERS IS BACK!

7pm till late

Tickets £15 www.ticketstelford/venues/the-anstice

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 13^th December from 1pm – 4pm or on Saturday 14^th 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 15^th 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

Work with the redevelopment is now progressing well with a handover date of mid-December. Team Anstice are working hard to make sure we are ready for the handover so that we can hit the ground running in the new year. There’s so much to think about and do to ensure that the building is safe, welcoming, fully equipped and ready to open its doors to the community. To help us get ready for the Grand Opening we are currently recruiting a Food and Beverage Manager to oversee the running of the bar and café. We have been inundated with applications already and are really excited about welcoming a new member to the team.   

Retail Units and Residential Apartment:

We have two retail units to rent out on the ground floor of the building. If you are thinking of relocating your business, what better spot could there be? Right in the heart of Madeley and situated within this beautiful historic grade II listed building. We also have a spacious newly refurbished three-bedroom apartment available to rent out to a suitable tenant.

Contact Us