Members of Grantham Dramatic Society are thrilled to open the doors to their new home in a former pub and indoor market on the town’s Westgate. The new space, it is hoped, will become a focal point for the arts and creativity in Grantham and the surrounding areas.
GDS has had its own premises in Grantham for many years, most recently at The Old Malthouse on Springfield Road which the performing arts group occupied for fifteen years.
While this venue was a welcoming space and home-from-home to members over many years, its limitations had become increasingly apparent. Lacking in floor space, without a kitchen and with poor access for people with disabilities, the Society had begun to outgrow The Old Malthouse unit.
After considering a variety of properties over several years, GDS’s committee developed a strong relationship with local property owner Buckminster, and identified the former ‘Market Café’ premises as a potential home. It has also been Dr Thirsty’s and Fletchers off-licence.
This vast building to the rear of the café fronting onto Westgate was previously used as an indoor market. GDS proposed that the building should be split, creating a café at the front, and a separate premises at the rear, to be occupied by the Society.
GDS Treasurer, Mark Brown, commented: “As the group has grown over the years, we’ve simply run out of space. A new chapter for GDS now opens, and hopefully for the arts scene in Grantham.”
Mark continued, “This new space has so many benefits for us, from being able to have a full kitchen to having a rehearsal area that’s large enough to replicate the stage at the Guildhall Arts Centre where we mainly perform.
“Our vision is to open the space up to other arts and music groups in Grantham for low-cost hire, and create a hub for the visual and performing arts in the area. Eventually, we even hope to put on performances of our own.”
Charlotte Colston, Estate Land Agent for Buckminster, said “We’re delighted to support Grantham Dramatic Society to bring this large building back into use. By separating the rear of the building we’ve been able to let the café which will bring a great new business to the town centre.
“Buckminster has a long-standing commitment to the development of Grantham’s town centre and the community as a whole. This project is a great example of that.”
Treasurer Mark Brown added, “Without Buckminster engaging with our idea and its continued support this project wouldn’t have been possible, and we want to take this opportunity to offer them our sincere thanks.”
GDS Chairperson Geraldine Lee added “Our members have been working tirelessly to get renovation works underway but there is a huge amount still to do, and we’re hoping that the community will get behind us. That’s why, today, we’re launching a fundraising campaign to help meet the costs of creating the brilliant new space.”
Geraldine continued, “We’ve opened a new online donation page on our website and any contribution – large or small – is warmly welcomed. Alternatively, cheques made payable to Grantham Dramatic Society can be sent to 85 Westgate.
“We also invite people to donate their time to the building project, especially people with trade skills. And if you have any spare change or leftover foreign money (even pre-Euro currency), our friends at Café Leo on Westgate will be happy to accept them on our behalf.
“Businesses are also invited to get in touch about sponsorship opportunities. All donations will be recognised on a permanent board in the new venue, online and in our programmes, along with other benefits.”
GDS is planning a drop-in opening event on 26th July, from 5.30pm to 8.30pm, to which anyone interested in the project is invited. You can find out more, or contribute to GDS’s fundraising campaign,via www.granthamdramaticsociety.co.uk.
Tickets for their current production, Ladies Day by Amanda Whittington, are currently on sale from the Guildhall Arts Centre, on 01476 406158. Grantham Dramatic Society always welcomes new members and encourages people of all backgrounds who are interested in being creative and making new friends to get in touch.
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