Among those in attendance were Lorraine Barrett AM,  the High Sheriff of South Glamorgan Tony Hazell and his wife Suzanna, Vale of Glamorgan Cabinet member Rhodri Traherne, Penarth Town Council’s Maureen Kelly Owen and Associated British Ports Director Mr Phil Williams and his wife Caroline.

The party marked the culmination of many months of hard work and community awareness campaigns by Penarth Arts and Crafts Ltd, the charity behind the drive to regeneration the much-loved Pavilion building.

It also coincided with the submission of the Pavilion Project plans to the Heritage Lottery Fund, which it is hoped will provide a large percentage of the funds needed for the project. The application goes before the Board of Trustees in November. The project also hopes for assistance from the Welsh Assembly Government and will be informed sometime this autumn it is expected to be announced in mid October.   

During the reception those invited were given an update on the state of the bid by Maggie Knight, Project Director and by Niall Phillips of Purcell Miller Triton who is acting as conservation architect for the £4 million refurbishment.

Young People's Project To Uncover The Penarth Pavilion's Hidden 1940s History

The Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded a grant of £24,500 to Penarth Arts and Crafts Ltd to coordinate a research project into the history of the Penarth Pavilion during its heyday as the ‘Marina Ballroom’ in the 1940s.

The programme will start in January 2010 and teach young people how to record oral history from Penarth residents past and present who remember the 1940s ballroom. Participants will also visit other ballroom sites, and learn how to access information in local archives. Following this historical research period, participants will use their knowledge of 1940s culture to recreate period costumes and music. As well as the exhibition and publication, the project will celebrate the participants’ achievements in the form of a themed 1940s ball, to be held at a Penarth venue towards the end of 2010.

Click here for full details.

Facebook Group Launched

The project now has a Facebook Group. Click the logo to join:

 

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August 2009

The Revised Bid - Latest News

The revised bid for Heritage Lottery Funding has been submitted this week and the wheels are now in motion for the Pavilion Project to begin taking shape.

The full outline of the project is now in the hands of the Heritage Lottery Fund and they will make a decision later this year as to whether this stage of the bid has been successful. The timescale for the future currently looks like this:

November 2009 - First Round Approval
July 2010 - Second Round Bid Submitted
Early 2011 - Approval Of Second Round Bid
Mid 2011 - Building Begins
Easter 2012 - First Programme Events Occur
July 2012 - Official Opening.

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July 2009

Petition Signing Locations around Penarth

The Petition is available on-line, but is also in locations around Penarth Town so if you haven't signed up yet, please visit one of the locations below and show your support.

Ener-chi Natural Health Centre, Hickman Road
The Haven, Herbert Terrace
Penarth Library, Stanwell Road
Hi-Plan Stationary, Herbert Terrace
Holm House, Marine Parade
The Washington Gallery, Stanwell Road (2 signing points - Upper Gallery and Bar (Ground floor))
The Penarth Pavilion High Street Shop – (Saturdays only)
Fourways Newsagents, Glebe Street
Tabanacle Church, Plassey Street
Creation Hairdressers, Windsor Road

Balmoral begins a Jubilee Summer of Visits to Penarth

Just a few days after her 60th birthday, the classic coastal excursion vessel Balmoral will return to the Bristol area offering cruises along both sides of the Bristol Channel.
For more information about the Balmoral, click here.

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June 2009

New website and Schools Interaction Initiative

Over the past few weeks, the Penarth Pavilion Project have launched the new site Let's Make It Happen and also a blog page to tell everyone about the project. We are working with the local community and schools to encourage everyone to support the bid.

The retail unit the was formerly Ferrari's bakery on Penarth High Street is now being used to provide the general public with information about the project, and will be open on Saturday 13th June so if you have any questions about the project, why not drop in?

This week the Washington Gallery was visited by children from St Fagan's School in Cardiff, who found out all about the history of the Pier.

Also this week, a letter has been sent out to all schools in the area which is aimed at getting every school to show their support for the project.

Keep an eye out for the new volunteer packs which will be available early next week. For more about volunteering, click here.

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January 2009

Pier lottery bid resurrected - Penarth Times Article

Ambitious plans to transform Penarth Pier Pavilion into a multi-use community centre could be resurrected following crisis talks with Lottery officials, who rebuffed a bid for funding last month.

As reported in the Penarth Times in December, members of Penarth Arts & Crafts Ltd (PACL) failed with an application to Heritage Lottery Fund Wales (HLF) for up to 60 per cent of the £2 million refurbishment fund.

Plans for the 78-year-old building were first outlined in 2006 – and included the development of a cinema, cafe, observatory and multipurpose community area.

More than £15million of lottery money was awarded to eight schemes in the UK, including development costs for the refurbishment of Cardigan Castle in west Wales.

But HLF officials said there were ‘insufficient funds’ to support the Pier Pavilion project in Penarth. It was feared the decision would mark an end to the ambitious plans.

But following last week’s meeting, Heritage Lottery has urged PACL to reapply for funding – albeit under different terms and with backing from the Vale of Glamorgan Council.

PACL Project Director, Maggie Knight, said: “HLF Wales still really like the project and want us to apply again, but with provisional changes which may require in-kind support from the Vale Council, a lower percentage input of around 53 per cent from HLF, and more definite financial support from the public.

“We had held back on this until we knew about HLF second stage funding, but this will need to be reviewed. Another discussion point was to get someone high profile on board to back the project. One of our team suggested former Penarth Times journalist, John Humphrys, and this may well be part of a new strategy!”

Vale of Glamorgan Council officials said they would support a reapplication for funding. Chris Fray, head of economic development and leisure, said: “The Council’s policy is to partner PACL in restoring the Pier Pavilion and to bring it into beneficial public use. As such, the Council would consider supporting a further application depending on the outcome of PACL’s meeting with the Heritage Lottery Fund.”

A spokeswoman for Heritage Lottery Wales Wales added: “It is up to Penarth Arts & Crafts Ltd to decide what they would like to do now, and HLF will of course consider a further revised application from them if that is what they decide to do.”

Article by Phil Tibballs, Penarth Times

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July 2008

PACL Has Strong Support From the Vale of Glamorgan Council

Good news came in the earlier spring with the announcement that £800,000 capital funding has been set aside in the Vale of Glamorgan’s capital budget for the Pavilion project. Members of Penarth Arts & Crafts Ltd (PACL) first outlined plans for a £2million refurbishment nearly two years ago and additional funding is needed to convince Heritage Lottery Fund officials to back the bid and transform the 78 year old building into an environmentally friendly community centre. Plans are now being finalised to go forward for a first-round application bid in September. A decision is expected by January. If all goes to plan work could begin by the end of 2009.

Famous Faces

The Pavilion Project is receiving strong cross-party support with visits already this year from Alun Michael MP for Cardiff South and earlier from Jeremy Hunt, Shadow Secretary of State for Culture Media & Sport, who came from London for the day. Watch out for more VIP visits next time you’re down at the front!

Consultations

The job of speaking to many groups and those stakeholders who have an interest in the Pavilion goes on. Parents with young children, older residents, schools, youth organisations and environmental groups (such as Sustrans and the Severn Estuary Partnership) are all contributing to making this such an exciting project for our seafront. One of the most important strands has been the Maritime Advisory Panel, a group extremely enthusiastic to revive the building and link it more closely with all the nautical connections the Pavilion holds. We were also delighted this month to have an overview by an experienced access auditor to ensure that the new building is open and welcoming to all future users.

Cinema

Members of the Pavilion Project Steering committee and specialists working in the film industry have been progressing developments for the Pavilion’s 95 seat cinema, which will be sited at the land end in the auditorium gallery. So far, there are plans for kids’ weekend films, Welsh language and cultural classics, good films that get shouldered aside by blockbusters, titles from the Welsh National Archive and a slot for a regular local film-club night. The cinema might also be used for specialist showings of themes on environmental subject matter and the maritime heritage/parts of the learning plan that we see as integral to this project.

Architectural Heritage Fund Grant

Thanks to a successful grant bid by Penarth Arts & Crafts Ltd. (PACL) we have been able to carry out feasibility studies, in collaboration with our architect, to find the best design to suit community preferences. In this exercise many lay-outs were tested - below is the latest working model for the refurbishment. You will notice the emphasis is on flexibility to ensure diverse groups can enjoy the facilities. While modernising the interior of the building we have maintained the visual impact of the barrel-vaulted ceiling, keeping the scheme open plan, while providing some places for specialist activities. Cross Section of the new Pavilion design

Publicity and the Pavilion

Tinopolis, one of UK’s largest independent media producers, filmed the well-known local artist Stan Jones and his wife, who talked about their memories of the Pavilion when it was a dance hall. The result was shown on S4C. BBC Wales Radio Peter Johnson interviewed Project Director Maggie Knight on his popular Sunday lunchtime show. There have also been numerous features in many of the magazines and local press.