Friends of Theatr Gwaun say they believe they are close to concluding negotiations with Pembrokeshire County Council to take over the running and management of the theatre.

The breakthrough in the long negotiations came when it became apparent that the Council might be prepared to consider a three year licence rather than the two which was in the original proposal, giving the Friends what they believe is sufficient tenure to proceed.

While there is still much to discuss regarding the hand-over, Neil Bennett, Information and Cultural Services Officer for Pembrokeshire County Council commented: “PCC is prepared to provide FOTG with a licence for three years, in principle.”

In anticipation, Friends of Theatr Gwaun has already applied to become a Charity incorporated as a Company Limited by Guarantee which will have major benefits for the organisation. It will also put them in a far stronger position when applying for funding opportunities to cover ongoing costs as well as for the longer term plans to refurbish the theatre.

It is likely that the theatre will close on March 31st when the current PCC funding runs out, but, if final agreement can made with the Council, the Friends say that they hope to reopen within a month or so and have exciting plans for the future of the theatre. They are currently considering future programming and new, innovative ways to increase audience figures and encourage additional users of the theatre.

A change of name has not been ruled out either, saying: “We are considering changing the name of the theatre to something which is more reflective of the community spirit we hope to engender and one which has broader appeal across a wide spectrum of arts activities, with live performance and cinema at the core.”

The County Council has offered the building on a rent/rates free basis for the period of the licence, but the Friends will need to raise additional money if the theatre is to be viable. Already however members of the Friends of Theatr Gwaun have pledged over £3000 to the group which, with Gift Aid, will be worth considerably more to them as a charity.

A move at the full Council meeting of PCC on Thursday February 24th to award the organisation £15,000 for one year only to help in the transition was defeated, but the Friends of Theatr Gwaun who have put forward a full business and marketing plan are convinced that, given the new approach, the venue will be in an excellent position to maximise revenue and increase audiences.

There is it seems already evidence that the audience is returning to the venue. 'The King's Speech' achieved record audiences all last week and the SeaLegs Puppet Show which was put on by Friends of Theatr Gwaun resulted in another completely full house.

AFTER A PROTRACTED few months negotiating, we believe that Pembrokeshire County Council have moved very little in terms of giving Theatr Gwaun a real chance of survival. In this Newsreel we detail what we at Friends of Theatr Gwaun have been doing to help ensure its survival, together with the response we have had from PCC. However, to ensure that the residents of Fishguard and the wider community have a chance to voice their opinions about the theatre's future, we are calling a public debate to which everyone is invited. We are inviting Council members and other interested parties, so they can put forward their point of view too. Please do try and attend. If you are interested in the survival of Theatr Gwaun, it is important that you do. Put the date in your diary now: Theatr Gwaun: 7pm Friday December 3rd

The Friends of Theatr Gwaun are disappointed in the response to their proposals to safeguard the future of the theatre. In the latest round of negotiations, Pembrokeshire County Council claims to have offered Friends of Theatr Gwaun the use of the theatre free of rent and rates for two years. The Council has also offered to open the theatre to honour commitments to the Fishguard pantomime in January and every other Thursday until the end of March to enable the Fishguard Film Society to continue its present programme. It is unclear however how the theatre can operate on a 'one night a fortnight' basis.

The Friends of Theatr Gwaun's position remains that they are willing to take over the management and programming of the theatre and believe they could reduce the current deficit very substantially and achieve a break even position by the end of the third year of operation, but need the commitment of the County Council to achieve that. The Friends' view is that the PCC offer, which would only take effect when the 'current funding runs out', gives no financial buffer while implementing plans to revive the theatre's fortunes. Although December is still quoted as the likely closing date, (except for honouring existing commitments) when the funding will actually run out is unclear. When asked in October, the Council itself was unable to put an actual date to it. This surprised the Friends of Theatr Gwaun committee who believed that the council ought to have a grasp on such serious a matter. They also pointed out that in offering to waive rent and rates, the Council would not receive rent or rates if the theatre were to close anyway.

The Friends of Theatr Gwaun point out that Pembrokeshire County Council seems to have shown little urgency in looking for solutions to the problems the theatre faces. When the news broke that PCC was considering closing Theatr Gwaun, the Friends' first action in early June was to investigate the possibility of the theatre being transferred to the community under the Welsh Assembly Government's Community Asset Transfer Fund. Under this scheme, which already operates successfully in various parts of Wales, an initial sum of money could be made available to conduct a feasibility study. Further sums of money might then be made available to develop the property and create a fully functioning community arts centre for North Pembrokeshire.

However, in order to apply for the Community Asset Transfer Fund, the Friends needed a letter of support a letter of support from the County Council. Despite the fact that it would not be binding on the council and simply show intention, the council were not prepared to issue such a letter and the deadline for applications passed. The Friends also requested the building plans and financial accounts of the theatre so that a start could be made on developing a business plan. Despite assurances that this would be forthcoming, it took repeated requests and a good deal of time elapsed before the information was received. Even then, it proved difficult to disentangle the accounting and arrive at a clear picture of the state of the finances.

In the absence of as much information as would have been liked, the Friends of Theatr Gwaun put together an Outline Project Plan which showed how the theatre might have a sustainable future. This included setting up a charity to run the building, allowing the Friends to programme it, and showing how the running costs could be reduced by up to 60% in the first two years. After the initial two years, during which time the Friends would develop full business plans, grant applications and other support, no demands would be made of the Council and they would expect the theatre to break even after three years of operation. This would be achieved by more imaginative programming, increased use of the theatre by community groups and others, the use of volunteers and significantly better publicity.

This Project Plan, dismissed by Pembrokeshire County Council in the Western Telegraph merely as a 'wish list' has the full support of Paul Davies AM, Shadow Minister for Education and the Welsh language, who described the theatre as being 'essential to the community in Fishguard.' Stephen Crabb MP and Nerys Evans, AM for Mid and West Wales also pledged support for the Friends' campaign to retain the theatre.

Despite claims that they were 'making strenuous efforts to attract audiences' Pembrokeshire County Council actually stopped producing a printed programme and, for a time, even stopped advertising or providing information to newspapers about what was on at the theatre. Faced with this lack of publicity, the Friends took the decision to promote all events which were on at the theatre, not only their own which had for the most part attracted good size audiences. A website - www.theatrgwaun.co.uk - is run by the Friends of Theatr Gwaun and includes all events at the theatre. The Friends have also set up a growing team of 'Theatr Gwaun Ambassadors' who promote events at the theatre with a regular monthly 'What's on' poster produced by the Friends and displayed at various locations throughout the county.

The Friends believe that this has helped attract larger audiences to the theatre, and shows the Council that, given the will, there could be a viable theatre/cinema in Fishguard, with the potential to develop a centre for arts that would greatly benefit communities in North Pembrokeshire. The Friends of Theatr Gwaun say: 'We are offering the Council a potential way to fulfil its ambition to 'support the vibrancy of the arts' while reducing the present level of subsidy to zero over two years. All we ask is for the Council to share our vision and show some goodwill towards the people of Fishguard and North Pembrokeshire.'

The Friends of Theatr Gwaun event for families - Peter and the Wolf achieved record audiences. The theatre was completely sold out for the 2.30 show and a second showing of the Sealegs Puppet Show was hastily arranged. Everyone enjoyed both shows and children were mesmerised by the puppets which they had a chance to meet 'in person' after each performance. Our thanks to Rob from SeaLegs for a wonderful show -and we hope to bring more SeaLegs shows to the theatre in the future.