Help needed to defend the Horsham Folk Arts Centre

Dear all,
on February 1st this year the plans to establish a Horsham Folk Arts Centre were approved by a specially formed sub-committee of Horsham District Council The Committee conducted detailed deliberations evaluating 3 bids for use of Horshams Old Town Hall which the Council wished to outsource, and recommended the Folk Arts Centre. This was the culmination of hundreds of hours work drawing up the Financial and Business Assessment which was overwhlmingly supported by 51% of readers in a poll conducted by the local West Sussex County Times. The plan also included the establishment of a Horsham Folk Festival, which as we know from the 'Impact of Festivals Report' on the Folk Arts England website, would be of huge economic benefit to the town as a whole. Folk Arts England News (Spring edition) also carried an article about the initiative and Horsham's unique connection to folk history e.g. Lucy Broadwood.

We have now learned from a recent Council report that a certain section of the Council now want to go back on the pledge to put the sub-committee recommendation to Cabinet and a full Council Meeting, and recommend the vague notion of turning the historic building into another restaurant (of which there are many in Horsham already).

Of course, the tourism potential of a Folk Arts Centre is enormous, whilst a restaurant would have little overall economic impact on the town.

I am therefore asking individuals and bodies in the folk network locally, regionally and nationally to e-mail the leader of the Council and show their support for the Folk Arts Centre. The Cabinet Committee meets this Thursday 29th June at 5.30 pm. to decide so time is short. The e-mail address to write to is:

elizabeth.kitchen@horsham.gov.uk

Many thanks in anticipation of your urgent help.

Kind regards,
Martin Jeremiah
Project Manager - Horsham Folk Arts Centre
martin@martin-jeremiah.co.uk

2006 :: Comment / reply