Friends of Ryde Town Hall (FORTH) – a resident-led advocacy organisation – has released a comprehensive white paper about a possible future for Ryde Town Hall and Theatre.
Entitled The FORTH Report, it’s supported by a substantial public survey and many months of community engagement. It’s available to read online and a limited number of printed copies will be available to read in local libraries.
A detailed vision for the building’s future
The 60+ page document features illustrative graphs that outline survey results, a detailed vision for the building’s future and potential funding streams.
FORTH’s community engagement and the survey indicate that a substantial number of residents and local leaders are keen to see the building transformed into an arts and cultural hub, much like The ARC Winchester, Trowbridge Town Hall and other similar arts centres across the country that, among other things, attract people into town centres, supplying business owners with much-welcomed footfall.
Barker: Community-led vision, collaboration and realism
Zoë Barker, Chair of the FORTH Committee, explained,
“FORTH was urged by national grant funders to get ‘stuck in’ to substantive conversations with local people about Ryde Town Hall.
“We were told if we could demonstrate a community-led vision, collaboration and realism, the project would have a better chance of securing the grant funding necessary to return the building to public use.
“And with The FORTH Report we hope we’ve achieved that aim.”
A comprehensive survey
In June 2023, FORTH distributed a survey asking residents how they would like to see the building utilised in the future. By October 2023 they had received 1,086 completed surveys.
FORTH also hosted three stakeholder meetings where they invited local business, charity, arts and cultural leaders to hear about latest developments and take the opportunity to share their views.
Bowler: The ‘Listening Tour’
Anmarie Bowler, Secretary of the FORTH Committee, said,
“Since we were founded in November 2021, we’ve been on what we call a ‘Listening Tour’ and what grant funders call consultations.
“We’ve listened to and documented the thoughts, ideas and concerns of hundreds of local people and organisations, integrating them into the foundation of the Report.”
For use as a guide to inspire and inform
FORTH is encouraging local councils, Ryde and the Isle of Wight, as well as the Town Board that will be established to manage the latest Levelling Up Funding for Ryde, to use The FORTH Report as a guide to inspire and inform their approach to the Town Hall project.
Barker said,
“We encourage everyone to read the report. It’s the work of our entire community and would not have been possible without the input and expertise of countless local people.
“We hope local leaders and funders will hear what residents have to say and work with us on pursuing this vision that’s shared and supported by the local community.”
Follow for latest updates
You can find out more about Friends of Ryde Town Hall on their social media:
- Facebook – Friends Of Ryde Town Hall
- X – Friends of Ryde TH
You can also contact them at [email protected]
The FORTH Report
See The FORTH Report below, embedded for your convenience, or download/print from here.
News shared by Zoe on behalf of FORTH. Ed
