What a pantomime!
LANARK Panto Club members were furious this week to learn — by accident — that they'd lost their venue for their main production this Christmas.
Knowing that it couldn't use its traditional venue of the Memorial Hall due to refurbishment, the club put in hand arrangements with South Lanarkshire Council a year ago this week to find an alternative stage.
The club were told shortly afterwards that the Assembly Hall of Lanark Grammar would be available and suitable for their needs and the club left matters there, thinking that all the necessary arranagements had been put in hand by the council.
It was only last Monday that, purely by chance, Panto Club chairman Christine McPhail was passing the Grammar School and decided to drop in, out of courtesy, to ask the janitor how the arrangements were going for the club to start their rehearsals there next week.
"You should have seen the look on his face. He looked totally stunned and said that the last time the subject had been discussed was three months ago and he'd heard nothing since."
The janitor — who Christine stresses could not have been more helpful or sympathetic — immediately contacted his line manager and Christine received a call that afternoon at home from a member of the council's management to tell her that the Grammar wasn't, after all, available!
Christine said that he told her he was planning an urgent meeting with Lanark Primary School's headteacher to see if their hall was available.
Christine has heard niothing since and her phone messages to the council had gone unanswered by Monday morning - with rehearsals now just a week away.
She said: "The irony is that, a year ago, it was us who suggested the Primary School as that is the only other place we've staged the panto when the Memorial Hall was closed for repairs.
''It was the council which pushed us in the direction of the Grammar School hall but it seems it's done absolutely nothing for at least the past three months, even calling us to say that hall wasn't available.
''I'm furious about it all and so is the club committee. This isn't a fly-by-night, wee operation we're talking about; the club has been going for 47 years and puts on as near a professional show as possible.
''A lot of work goes into this every year. It's difficult to get anything underway until we know what stage — if any — we'll be using."
Christime added that she had been told the Grammar hall wouldn't be available because exams, assemblies and PE sessions were being held in it, all things South Lanarkshire Council must have known for a considerable time.
Christine said that she'd now had a chance to see the Grammar stage and the adjoining gym facilities and said that, sadly, they were now in such a neglected state that she doubted if it would have been the ideal venue anyway for the 2008 production, 'Aladdin'.
She assumes that they have not been maintained as they will be replaced when the new Lanark Grammar opens in the near future.
"It's the principle of the thing I'm really angry about now. How could the council let things go for so long without telling us something was wrong? I want answers."
Christine contacted the Gazette this week to say that an alternative venue was now being urgently sought as rehearsals and other arrangements for the 2008 show could not be delayed any further.
A spokeswoman for South Lanarkshire Council said last week : "The Panto Club was involved in consultation events in 2007, regarding the refurbishment works and were advised at that time that the Memorial Hall would not be available for events from late 2008 for a period of 18 months to two years.
"Groups were advised that there were no alternative facilities of the scale of Lanark Memorial Hall in the area.
''Meetings took place to explore alternative options for the Panto Club to stage a smaller scale event and Lanark Grammar was initially considered for this.
"A number of difficulties were identified with hosting a multi-night show in the school. Confirmation was given in early summer and the Panto Club was advised that discussions would take place with the school staff on their return from summer recess.
''But the problems proved to be insurmountable and it was confirmed that Lanark Grammar would not be available.
"It was agreed, however, that other alternative locations would be considered and consequently contact has been made with Lanark Primary School."
However, at time of going to press, the Club said that the council had still not got in touch over the use of the primary school and it was now finding its own alternative venue.
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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