Concerns on proposed closure of Blackwood Miners’ Institute

The performing arts venue, which hosts a range of events and plays host to numerous local community groups, has been threatened with closure after Caerphilly County Borough Council announced proposals to effectively ‘mothball’ the venue by withdrawing its funding.

If the plans are approved, the council will remove the funding for the venue in December, meaning community groups will have very limited time to find alternative venues to continue running their classes and clubs.

Janet Stephens, who runs a theatre dance school and holds classes at the Institute four times a week, said that she had rumours that the venue was under threat of closure in recent months, but had not expected the council to push ahead with plans so quickly.

She added that: “My dance school has been based at the Institute for many years and I’ve had the pleasure of teaching ballet, tap and jazz dance to lots of children from Blackwood and the surrounding area during this time.

“It would be a sad day for Blackwood and for the continued development of arts in the area should this wonderful building be forced to close its doors for a final time.”

Classes held at the venue, including Janet’s dance classes, have nurtured many young talents, with some even going on to achieve further success in the industry.

Mrs Stephens said that: “Many of my students have gone on to full-time dance education and to work professionally in dance and theatre arts.”

The venue is still very popular (Image: Supplied)

Among these students are Lily Selway and Lowri-Mai Brass who are entering their second and third years as associates of Ballet Cymru, an international touring ballet company who seek to promote inclusion and innovation in dance.

KLA Dance are also among those who have used the Institute to support young dancers, with a group of dancers from the school gaining national attention on BBC’s The Greatest Dancer when they finished second on the show in 2019.

Dancers from the school, now based in Newbridge, continue to perform in Blackwood’s annual pantomime. KLA said that: “The Christmas panto at Blackwood Miners’ is the highlight of our dancers’ year. They look forward to it from one year to the next. It’s a time for enjoyment not just for our dancers, but also their families and the school.

“To lose this would devastate us as a dance school, seeing how many dancers will be disappointed by this.”

A family friendly venue (Image: Supplied)

Rainbow Valley Productions, who stage the annual pantomime, have said that if the venue were to close it would have a “massive impact” on an already struggling arts sector and on their audience of 16,000 people every year.

Jamie Edwards, managing director of the company, said that: “The arts are so important. A pantomime is often a child’s first introduction into live theatre and the arts. So many schools visit us and its closure would have a massive impact on the community.”

Owen Money, who stars in and writes the pantomimes, has called the Institute his home at Christmas for over two decades. However, the threatened closure of the venue means that this year’s production of Beauty and the Beast could be his last in Blackwood, despite selling out the 360-seater venue night after night.

Events which have been organised for the upcoming autumn season are unaffected by the proposals, however the venue has confirmed that all future plans for shows are currently on hold during the consultation period.

Blackwood deputy mayor Cllr George Etheridge, who set up a petition to save the venue, said that he believes Caerphilly Council “wish to throw the venue to the wolves”, adding that the proposals are “driving people out of the Valleys, and into the cities.”

He also said: “The Miners who worked hard and tirelessly to pay a levy to help build the Institute would be extremely disappointed in today’s world if they thought all their efforts were in vain.”

A spokesperson for Caerphilly Council stressed that proposals are subject to ongoing consultation, and that no decisions have yet been made regarding the venue’s closure.