The De Valence Trust has now officially assumed responsibility for the prestigious Tenby town centre venue, following the signing of the leases at the mayor's parlour this week.
Under the arrangements, the trust has leased the building from the town council, and in turn, the trust has leased back, the mayor's parlour and town council offices to the town council, who will continue to run their affairs from the De Valence. The town council will pay a rent to the trust for the space that they occupy.
It was hoped that by the time the trust assumed responsibility for the De Valence, that a manager would be in place, but unfortunately the bid for funding for the post was still being considered by WEFO (the Welsh European Funding Office), and following further discussions this week it is hoped that a decision will be made in the very near future.
Meanwhile, until the manager is appointed, bookings and enquiries for the venue can still be made via the town council offices. The trustees are very grateful to the town council, the town clerk, Mr. Andrew Davies, and all the staff for their co-operation.
The aim of the trust is to increase the usage of the multi-purpose building, with both managed events and by hiring out to third parties, and the trust would encourage anyone interested in hiring the venue to please get in touch to discuss matters further. They will be delighted to hear from you.
Following discussions with the funding agencies, such as the Arts Council, the redevelopment plans for the building have been put on hold for the time being, as all agencies were keen to see the venue being run successfully, with a strong community need being demonstrated through a successful, well-attended programme of events and activities.
The trustees have therefore decided to channel their efforts in this direction initially and are all keen to do everything possible to ensure that the building will be a thriving asset that the town will be proud of.