Regal Trust moves forward

Users of the Tenbury Regal gathered at the Royal Oak last Wednesday to hear the vision of the newly formed Regal Management Trust.  

The mostly upbeat and positive meeting, demonstrated how exciting this project is going to be, and how the Regal will once again claim its rightful status in the Town and become a beacon of the arts and entertainment in the surrounding area.

The Tenbury Regal, often described as the "jewel" in Tenbury's crown, has been slightly tarnished in latter years and become something of a money pit for the Town Council.

The failing infrastructure and falling bookings along with the problems caused by the very expensive and inefficient heating system, meant that an increasing proportion of the Council precept was required to support it.

A large Heritage Lottery Grant was won and the building is currently undergoing extensive restoration along with the remodelling of the foyer area to make the building more suitable for today's audiences.

In order to make the very best of the wonderful opportunity from this new lease of life, the Town Council have agree to hand over the management of the building to a volunteer run management trust.

This will mean:-

• The ownership of the building will remain public with the Town Council.
  
  
• The management trust which will also be a registered charity will be able to raise funds to improve the facility, and the revenue from hire income will pay the running costs.  
  
  
• The Town Council will service the existing loans, and make a grant to the trust.
  
  
• Initially £120,000 has to be raised to complete the technical refit (which wasn't covered by the HLF Grant and fit out the cafe.  A good proportion of this money has already been raised or promised.
  
  
• The Regal Cinema group who used to run the film evenings has already disbanded and joined the new management trust.  
  
  
• Other occasional users such as TADS (Tenbury Amateur Dramatic Society) and TAOS (Tenbury Amateur Operatic Society) and the Tenbury Town Band, have been asked if any of their members would become Regal Trust volunteers.

The Regal is due to reopen in Summer 2012 so there is some urgency in creating and getting this exciting project underway.

Volunteers are needed across a wide spectrum of interests. Programming, Marketing, Technical, Front of House, Fund Raising, Administration, Shop & Cafe and many more.  You will be most welcome if you have a few hours to give or can make a much larger commitment.

Additional Volunteers from across the area are now urgently required, no experience is necessary!

A volunteer application form can be downloaded from here or collected from (and returned to) the Tenbury Library.  Additional information is also available from David Hambelton on 01584781767.

Artist Richard Gill, renovating the famous murals
inside the Tenbury Regal.

Check out http://www.richardpgill.co.uk
to see more of Richard's work.

Provisionally the next public meetings are on Tuesday 20th March and Wednesday 28th March.  Posters will be appearing in town later this week with additional information. 

The Trust is also in need of a new logo - (by Monday afternoon!)