The show goes on

Kate Smail • Published 25 Feb 2011 09:30 0 Comments

DIRECTORS of the Eastgate Theatre claim the show will go on despite the withdrawal of their main sponsor this week.

Construction firm Cala Homes, who have sponsored the Peebles arts venue for the last four years, announced they'd no longer be supporting the facility.

Cala Homes said the decision was made because they have finished building projects in the area.

A spokesperson for the company said: "Cala Homes has been a sponsor of Eastgate Theatre over the past four years and, coupled with youth rugby sponsorship at Peebles RFC, we have been a keen supporter of local initiatives.

"Despite difficult market conditions over the past few years, CALA has maintained sponsorship while continuing to build and sell houses in Peebles, sustaining local jobs and providing quality housing to meet local demand.

"Our development at Forest Park is almost complete and, as a consequence, so too is our ability to continue sponsorship".

The theatre, which attracts 18,000 visitors a year, relies on a combination of funding from Scottish Borders Council, Creative Scotland as well as contributions from private donors.

The local authority's annual subsidy of £90,000 has already come under the spotlight during recent cuts - but has been secured for a further year.

With sponsorship vital to the theatre's future, chairman of the board of directors, James Taylor said: "We are tremendously grateful to Cala for their support in the past and are disappointed to lose what has been a valuable partnership.

"In a bid to interest new sponsors in the benefits of corporate promotion, we shall be targeting both local and national businesses. We shall also be developing existing partnerships and forging new ones, hopefully, with companies, public services and voluntary groups."

However, Mr Taylor accepts that attracting sponsorship in the current financial climate will be a tricky task.

He told the Peeblesshire News: "We continue to rely on public grants and local sponsorship for a third of our current income and we are absolutely certain that funding in the voluntary, charitable and arts sectors - and we figure in all three - will be much tighter for the foreseeable future."

Several businesses have already expressed an interest in helping the theatre, which combined with the dedicated band of volunteers who help run the venue, means Mr Taylor remains optimistic about its fate.

"The theatre depends on the important contribution made by its band of volunteers and on the Friends of the Eastgate group. Amazingly, within our current pool of over 40 volunteers, we still have 28 who were there at the very beginning almost seven years ago.

"The Eastgate is more than just a theatre, it is at the very heart of this community, so I'm sure we will be able to secure another sponsor in the near future."

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This article appeared in Peeblesshire News 25 Feb 11

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