Cash Crisis Hits Town Arts Centre

THE Ropetackle Arts Centre in Shoreham is facing a funding crisis - just six months after opening.

It says it has been turned down for a special community grant of 10,000 by Adur council.

Ropetackle Centre trust board director Anne Hodgson said: "This is a bitter blow. We were hoping this funding would support the further development of the centre in delivering a new artistic programme of activities for children, young people, older people and for the whole community.

"Also to assist in the development and delivery of the Adur Arts Festival where Ropetackle is set to be at the heart of the programme.

"Since taking over the Centre a year ago we have attracted funding from the Arts Council and other bodies which enabled us to complete the major fit-out of the centre and draw large audiences to an innovative programme of events since opening our doors last September.

"We have come a long way over that time and the feedback from the community has been fantastic. Our success is largely down to the goodwill of our volunteers and the directors who have given so freely of their time to make this long held ambition a reality and it would be a tragedy if we were to lose it.

"The state of the art venue that is Ropetackle really has helped to put Shoreham on the map as an entertainment centre. We have just published an exciting spring programme and had hoped over the next few months to tap into other sources of funding as it is always difficult for a new venue like ours to get off the ground and break even. Now we need all the help we can and I would urge anyone who is able to support us to get in touch."

An Adur council spokeswoman said: "Adur council has a grant budget of 51,000 for community development projects which are in line with the council's priorities and we received 19 applications for a slice of this money. No formal decisions have been made about who will or will not get a grant as the process is still ongoing. The outcome is expected to be announced mid-April."