Projects

The SSAA has been responsible for a number of projects to develop the Riverside Arts Centre – the biggest of these being the purchase of the former Barclays Bank premises, next door to the original Arts Centre, and the recent purchase of a concert-standard grand piano.

Grand Piano Purchase
In June 2009 the SSAA purchased a new Yamaha concert grand piano for the Riverside Arts Centre.

This was made possible through a loan of more than £5,000 from the RAC. This has now been repaid through funds raised from a variety of events and performances, including a Music, Dance and Drama Marathon held over 7 and 8 March 2009 and the sale of notional piano keys.

The price-to-quality ratio of this new Yamaha C6 is unbeatable. The sound is powerful, bright, resonant and 'neutral' and is suitable for both classical and jazz performances. The action and engineering are impeccable.

During the 2009 Arts Festival members of the local community had the pleasure of hearing it first played by three entrants to the Leeds International Piano Competition. Some pianists are now hiring the piano and the hall for recital rehearsals, and the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, which also made a donation to the piano fund, has already used the piano for examinations held at the Riverside Arts Centre.

Riverside Arts Centre Extension - Barclays Bank Premises

The former Barclays Bank site next door to the Arts Centre was put on the property market in 2000. As it adjoined the Arts Centre it could be put to use to extend the facilities and provide an additional studio theatre or rehearsal room, whilst offering disabled access, by lift, to the upstairs area of the Arts Centre. As a result, the SSAA, led by Catherine Black, sought to purchase the building. Spelthorne Borough Council agreed to buy the premises and sell it to the Arts Centre. The Council also made a £100,000 grant towards its purchase, leaving the fundraising committee the task of raising £125,000 by August 2003. An additional £250,000 was also required to convert and refurbish the building, and from 2004 Eric Champion, the Chairman of RAC, led a team of volunteers who undertook this task.

These days the new studio is a comfortable addition to the Arts Centre’s facilities. It can be adapted for performances ‘in the round’ or can be used with the stage area at the front.

The main hall is often fully booked and the additional space offered by the studio thus allows increased opportunities for professional performers, the local community and groups such as the Riverside Youth Theatre.