THE Pound Art Centre, Corsham, is beginning to see the light of day at the end of their extensive renovations project, which started in 2019.

Russ Tunney, Director of the Pound, said: “We are three quarters of the way to completing what has been a big project, here at the Pound. We moved into the building in 2007. It’s a fabulous building and was once a primary school in one of its previous lives. It deserves to be cared for. What we are doing now should secure the building for at least the next ten years and generations to come.

"We had a target of £440,000 to reach and are currently just short of achieving this. Of course all of this would not have been possible without the generosity of so many individuals and grants from the Arts Council, Corsham Town Council, Wiltshire County Council and the Bernard Sunley Trust .

"We continue to be surprised by just how willing people are to ensure that we are able to do this. It has meant that we have been able to complete some big, much needed, structural renovations, carry out work on the roof of the building, lay new floors, mend our boiler and update our plumbing and heating systems, as well as give the auditorium a much needed face-lift.

"We have also had secondary glazing put into place so as to make the building far more energy efficient.

"We are so grateful to everyone who has done fundraising for us and those who are continuing to do so. It really is making a huge difference.”

He added: “The agreement we made with the Arts Council was very much that this project was undertaken as an essential part of enabling us to stay open and that has been really important to us.

"Our footfall continues to grow and is much more than we initially anticipated, which is absolutely brilliant and just goes to prove the importance of the centre to the people of Corsham. We love seeing new faces and getting people through our doors is not a problem.

"The Pound is very much a community hub for all ages and backgrounds and as such we have tried to ensure that work has been carried out without too much disruption to business and those who visit us.

"The last phase of the renovations here should be completed by the summer of this year.”

Information about how you can donate to the Pound Arts Centre can be found at: poundarts.org.uk/