One of Preston’s longest-running dance schools will be treading the boards beyond Preston’s borders due to the lack of a major venue in the city.
Carol May’s Dance Academy, who are preparing to relocate from the Guild Hall’s Arcade, are heading to Westholme Theatre in Blackburn.
More than four decades of teaching youngsters a range of modern and classic dance for the academy sees their annual production having to take place outside of the city boundaries as the Charter Theatre remains mothballed.
Carol May said: “Sadly, with Preston’s Guild Hall unavailable and the Charter Theatre currently closed by the council, the Academy has no choice but to look further afield to stage its annual show.
“Carol May’s Academy is not alone in facing this challenge, with a number of other Preston dance schools also having to seek venues outside the city to ensure their students can continue performing on stage.”
The show – MAY-HEM on the Dance Floor – marks the end of months of rehearsals for the academy students.
Performances are taking place on Saturday (18 July) and Sunday (19 July) at 12pm and 6pm each day with tickets available through Ticketsource.
The dance academy, who announced in June they would be the last to leave the Guild Hall complex, are in the process of relocating to a new premises at Broughton Business Park in Fulwood.
Carol, speaking to Blog Preston in June, said the state of the Guild Hall, the uncertainty over its future and changes made so they could only use the side entrance meant it was not viable to continue operating from it.
Preston’s major venue has been closed since 2019 when Preston City Council took back control of the building from private operator Simon Rigby and commenced a four-year legal battle.
This was resolved in 2023 but plans to re-open the venue were scuppered by the discovery of reinforced aerated concrete (RAAC) in the roof of both venues which has seen them continue to be closed due to safety fears.
The city’s ruling Labour group announced in March, after receiving various reports in the interim years, they would spend the next 12 months pursuing a ‘twin track’ approach over whether repair or rebuild was the best option for Preston having a venue again and securing major funding needed for either option. Estimates for a new venue are said to be between £60million-£100million.
More than 3,300 Prestonians have signed a Blog Preston petition urging the government and the Arts Council to support efforts to get a major venue operating in Preston again – which has seen backing from across the city’s business, hospitality, civic, political sector and community groups.
