Wantage And Grove District Arts Guild

There is a REAL NEED for an Arts Centre in Wantage

Written by Administrator Friday, 07 November 2008 15:46

The Meeting, chaired by Canon Peter Turbitt who said he was there as a neutral co-ordinator, started with a series of statements from representatives of a selection of the Groups in the area.

Liz Wilson, Chairman of Wantage Choral Society explained that the choir had enjoyed the use of St Mary's facilities, including the Music Block, for many years. When forced by the closure to seek other accommodation she had taken the choir to try out various venues, including the Ridgeway Suite and the Main Hall of the Civic Hall. Neither of these were suitable, one because it was too cramped for 90 plus singers, the other because the acoustic was not conducive to learning the notes in a group. They had settled for the Church School Hall which was a good venue but much more expensive to hire. Subscriptions had had to be raised substantially and she was worried that this would prevent some people joining and may lead to a reduction in membership with further increased individual cost.

Alan Sykes said that Wantage Silver Band had 11 rehearsals a week, spread over six days. At the moment they had to use 7 different venues. This put an enormous strain on the organisation Storing music, making sure the percussion equipment got to the appropriate rehearsal site etc. etc.. After many years of argument and negotiation the Band was applying for planning permission to build a barn like structure on Tugwell Field, on the eastern edge of Wantage, which they would share with Wantage Concords and others. The planned accommodation was similar to the St Mary's buildings (2 large rooms and a performance hall) and so might well be able to accommodate other groups. However they still had to raise the money and therefore the project may not be realised for some time. He had always supported WACC because the buildings it was trying to retain would be ideally suited to the Band and were already in existence.

Margaret Bateman had founded a Youth Theatre three years ago. Already they had done 5 productions. They used the Masonic Hall for rehearsals, had tried the Civic Hall for performances but found it too large for their productions. The Arts Centre looked ideal, providing both rehearsal and performance space.

Nigel Thornbory wanted to establish an experimental theatre group but had yet to find a venue that was suitable. He recalled his experiences in Aldershot Arts Centre which covered all kinds of drama from West End plays to Shakespeare for all ages - mothers and babies, youth to adults - music from rock, pop to jazz and classical, book clubs, poetry groups, dance of all sorts including Morris, art, pottery and photography, with workshops and residencies where professionals could interact with amateurs. It acted through its bar and cafe as a meeting point for people interested in all the arts. A cohesive force giving heart and life to the community.

Patsy Jones said that the Wantage Art Group found that the Civic Hall was never available when they needed it. They used the small upper floor gallery at the Museum but found it was really too small for a group exhibition and it lacked disabled access.

Rosemary Lang read a message from Dawn Stephens, who was unable to attend, in which she recalled an Arts Centre in Brentford that acted as a "heart and soul" for the community. As an artist herself she often exhibited in other places and was always being asked if she ran workshop sessions or courses in Wantage. People wanted to come to stay for a few days in Wantage (the younger ones perhaps in the Courthill Centre) so they could work with her. She and her partner would love to offer such events but there was no facility for this in Wantage. An Arts Centre could not only be a heart for this community but draw others in.

Bill Melotti read out an email message from Gill Morgan of the Wantage Stage Musical Company saying the current Civic Hall stage lacked the facilities to mount and light scenery and that the St Mary's buildings would only be useful as rehearsal spaces.

Brian Webster described the 43 years of Domino Player productions in the town. They had a policy of being open and available to everyone in the community. Open auditions had led to actors from many other groups joining Domino productions. They had been using Lain's Barn which was wonderfully atmospheric but were finding the hall costs rising and it was difficult to cover costs on short runs. They had also performed in the Parish Church and in the Civic Hall. It was difficult to use the Civic Hall stage and the auditorium was a bit too large for the typical audiences their more unusual productions attracted (50 to 100). The Drama Studio at St Mary's Arts Centre would be ideal for intimate productions as well as rehearsals.

Julia Reynolds said the Wantage Summer Festival acted as a showcase for the many talented groups in the Area. It was quite remarkable that this small market town could field so many varied events. Finding venues for them all was a growing problem. Churches, schools and the Civic Hall were not suitable for all of these. There was a need for smaller spaces as well. The concept of the Self-help Community was being promoted by central government. It had been repeatedly pointed out that there was a tendency for amenities and facilities to lag behind new housing building. Voluntary groups were the lifeblood of communities and deserved much better support.

Canon Peter Turbitt read out a message from Mary Loudon in which she said she was "sad that we need to fight for something as intrinsic to a community as an arts centre; sad that the arts, the food of the soul, the ears, the eyes, and the imagination, need defending so staunchly, when they are so important. I want to say, as I am unable to attend the meeting tonight, that this town desperately needs a space where anyone, of any age, and regardless of income, may find space, teaching, and access to equipment, available to them and to their families. Wantage needs the cohesiveness that an arts centre could and should offer."

Ed Vaizey, MP, explaining why he was supporting the Campaign said that a similar Town Meeting in Didcot had led to the formation of a "Didcot First" organisation that was working to develop facilities for that community. Wantage needed a similar focus to get coherent action. Our Cinema closed two years ago. There was debate as to how to develop the Market Square in the light of the Limborough Road developments. The recent Healthcheck could produce guidance but there was a need for co-ordinated action from local councils and others. It was quite clear from the statements above that there is a strong desire for an Arts Centre, even if the Campaign did not succeed in retaining the St Mary's buildings. We were meeting on the 26th October, the Feast of King Alfred. What better occasion for launching a concerted effort to acheive this goal.

In the lively discussion that followed:

Peter Scatchard, co-ordinator of the Wantage & Grove District Healthcheck, said that there was a lack of joined-up thinking in developing facilities. Loss of the Cinema, development of the Civic Hall, building of Tugwell Field, the Arts Centre campaign were all being treated as separate issues. There was a need for a rational approach with properly thought out business plans and based on what was actually possible under planning law.

Cllr Joyce Hutchinson said she had become increasingly concerned that Planning Gain from major developments were not being applied for maximum community benefit. She also said that the refurbishment of the Civic Hall in the 1990s had been planned with input from many local groups. The costs of running the Civic Hall and the Arts Centre were such that only one would be viable; one would have to go.

Cllr Jim Moley pointed out that the Cinema was not yet lost; the development was out to appeal and the inspector's verdict had yet to be given. He also said that planning was heavily constrained by legal requirements which made it very difficult for local councillors to have any impact on what was approved.

Mrs Gledhill, on behalf of U3A, said there was a need for more venues for OCC training courses and that U3A itself would have to find larger accommodation than they currently had on King Alfred's East Site because their numbers, in line with the growing numbers of older, retired people, were increasing.

Tony Gracie, speaking as a committee member of the Wantage Music Festival which had been using the St Mary's facilities for many years and as a composer himself, said we had to stand up to the "steam roller of the developers who were only interested in mammon."

Philip Lang, on behalf of White Horse Harmony but speaking in a personal capacity, said they had found the acoustic in the Civic Hall was not suitable for their form of singing. He asked if alternative approaches e.g. based on developing the School Chapel which he understood was of no value to the developer, had been tried.

It is clear that whatever the outcome of the St Mary's Arts Centre development, there is a genuine and strong desire for a co-ordinated effort to establish an Arts Centre for the Wantage & Grove District. It is seen that such a Centre could contribute a lot to the spirit of the place - not just in the arts but also in growing a stronger sense of community. This will not be acheived by public demand alone, however passionately the request is made. It will need the best efforts of people lending their professional expertise so that the complexities of the planning system can be dealt with and so that the resulting centre is run by people with an active involvement in the arts, who know and care about the needs of diverse groups, but with a strong core of sound business practice to make the whole thing flourish. Indeed Liz Wilson, on behalf of the WACC team, concluded the evening's debate with an urgent plea that anyone with relevant skills should volunteer to help to make this actually happen.

Please get in touch - through This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it - if you would like to help. We look forward to hearing from you.

[If I have mis-represented your views in reporting the debate, please let me know so I can make corrections. And, of course, if you want to add to the debate, please use the comment form below... Bob]