Group in a plea for art centre (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Group in a plea for art centre

A CAMPAIGN has been launched to provide a new arts venue in Bradford on Avon.

Posters have been circulated to raise the profile of the campaign for an 'Artsmill' and residents are being encouraged to show support.

The Artsmill steering group, made up of five residents, want a venue for multi-media activities, including theatre, dance, cinema, a workshop space and bar area.

A spokesman said: "The town is well-served with pubs and restaurants, and while it has a high percentage of retired people living in the centre of the town, the community has a huge young population not best served by facilities in the town."

They believe a focal point is needed for the wealth of artistic talent in the town, and that Bradford needs to move away from the "overriding obsession" with building houses.

The spokesman added: "While the Music Centre offers a good timetable of events and performances and has some outreach programmes in the summer, the facilities are very much oriented towards music and does not accommodate the spoken voice well at all."

They have been in talks with a developer about finding a central site and are hoping to lobby the town and district councils to put pressure on them to act.

Residents can register support by emailing thegudgeon@btopenworld.com or signing a list in the library.