Pavilion Trust director defends community involvement

AN estimated 30,000 people have been through the doors of the De La Warr Pavilion during its Summer season of events, says Pavilion director Alan Haydon.

The success of the fourth annual Jour de Fete series of free outdoor arts events - 3,000 people are believed to have taken part in the final evening alone - speaks for the Trust's commitment to involving the community in pavilion activities, he says.

Referring to the finale of Jour de Fete - Mr Haydon says: "I have never seen the pavilion so busy as it was on that Sunday night!"

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Mr Haydon and colleagues were answering criticism that the pavilion is no longer the focal point of the town..

An estimated 500 dancers let themselves go to the rhythm of salsa music under the stars on the pavilion terrace. as Jour de Fete ended.

"It was inspiring because it was music of very high quality international level. People were having a seriously good time."

Pavilion deputy director Emma Brown says: "It embraced the whole age range. There were dancers there from eight to eighty."

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A recurrent theme among responses from study groups at a recent public forum called by the Chamber of Commerce's town centre and tourism action group to plan Making Bexhill Better Campaign action from 2004 was the need for the pavilion to resume its place as the town's focal point.

Mr Haydon and his team believe their forward planning anticipates these demands.

He says: "We are planning a much better restaurant and much better bar facilities. We want a more attractive bar and a more attractive restaurant with a more 'focussed' menu so that we are actually carving a niche position for ourselves in the restaurant market.

"Most certainly, we want to expand the lunch-time trade."

The forum was critical of the pavilion's involvement in the regeneration of Bexhill.

Mr Haydon is responding with a challenge for the town.

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"This is where we fully intend to play our part and in some respects I believe we have to be a loss-leader.

"I dream of us playing our part but I think the town as a whole needs to collectively engage in what sort of community it wants the town to become.

"It is a question of whether it wants a vibrant town or whether it wants a 'peaceful' town.

"You can't have everything...

"I think there is scope to bring the town alive a little more in the evenings, for example. Even on the last weekend of Jour de Fete when we had thousands of people here, the rest of the town was, to say the least, 'quiet.'"

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The forum was critical of the fact that, even before the current interval while it awaits the start of refurbishment, was frequently shut in the evenings.

Mr Haydon says: "This building has been open until 11pm in the Summer and its been deserted..."

He says that, too often, pavilion visitors fall into categories:

*Those who use it as a public convenience

*Those, "from all walks of society" who come to cause damage.

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Critics have pointed to the fact that when the theatre or Elizabeth Room are open for events in the evening , the art galley is closed.

Mr Haydon is aware of the situation, a legacy of Rother council control.

"It is quite definitely part of our planning that, when the building is re-opened after refurbishment, the art gallery will be open.

"Our main purpose is to enhance people's lives," says Mr Haydon.

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"This building was created to improve people's lives. We aim to deliver the very best to the people of Bexhill and the surrounding area, because that is what they deserve."

The team recognises that while subsidies from the Arts Council and from Rother and grants from trusts and foundations make arts events like Jour de Fete possible, the bars and restaurant can be useful revenue contributors.

Mr Haydon is careful not to make promises over the timing of completion of the restoration project.

But he is adamant that events like Jour de Fete and the pavilion's participation the town's Christmas festival can be staged on the pavilion terrace and lawns together with the Colonnade independently of the pavilion while building work continues.

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"Even if there is a little delay in getting started, my assumption is that a lot of the heavy work will be out of the way by next Summer so we will be able to do things at weekends - we will still be planning a major Summer finale.

"I think we will be strong and our beliefs will in some ways inform the buildings progress - I am not going to let the building work get in the way of the major events that we would like to do.next Summer. We have the luxury that what we cannot do in the building we can do out there....

"There are a number of projects we want to engage for the early season. We don't intend to remain quiet until the Hard Hats have left off. Jour de Fete will definitely be here next year - and that's a promise!"