Stage vital to arts in town

Published on 17th May 2007 in Letters

Sir - Once again I really cannot believe that the educationalists at County Hall in Beverley are in the process of reducing the existing facilities available, not only to the pupils at Vermuyden School, but also the people of Goole. The plans for the re-built 'state-of-the-art' Vermuyden School will not include a stage for the performing arts.

All around me I see huge posters encouraging the people of Goole to support regeneration, but it seems that this only applies to the economic elements within the community. To entice bigger business into an area, the councils are willing to offer incentives such as a reduction in business rates for possibly as long as ten years.

However, the regeneration of this community relies not on another firm coming into the area and offering just the minimum wage, but providing further facilities such as an adequate, if not a better, building for large and small artistic/dramatic productions.

We are, I hope, going to enjoy the new arts complex and although it will provide different facilities, it will not provide the facility to hold large scale productions for the kind required by the Butterfly Dance Studio, the Amateurs, the Margaret Harness Dance School and others.

As readers, ask yourself - have you or your family and friends used this venue to dance, sing, laugh, cry, listen to musicians, act or be a part of the ever increasing audiences there to support activities in the community?

Well, not for much longer, folks!

This community annually supports the Amateurs, that very much-loved institution that promotes the arts, that allows people of all ages and all walks of life to work together, encouraging the development of skills through music, dance, organisation and entertain hundreds and hundreds of people every year with their spectacular shows.

All of this will disappear. The loss of a stage at one of our community schools firmly closes the door on so many existing activities.

This is not progress, or, what I would term 'regeneration' - deterioration, yes.

Come on people of Goole, stand up and put up a fight!

Let us smile at the three-year-old in her first tutu, let's sing along to songs from the shows, and let's see the young people of today rock their way into the charts.

Make your local councillors aware of your displeasure at the loss of this facility. Ask them, as I am doing now, what are you going to do about this, support East Riding of Yorkshire Council or fight for the community of Goole, the people that you represent?

If you don't know how to do this, ask around, lots of people will come forward to help you. Councillors, please let us all know how you, as representatives of our community, will act, if indeed you intend to do so.

The people of Goole and the surrounding area do not just need what we already have, we deserve better.

We deserve the right to be considered!

Gail Austin

Grosvenor Avenue, Goole