THE district’s premier arts centre has received a double funding boost as it prepares to reopen its doors later this year.

Queen’s Hall Arts, on Hexham’s Beaumont Street, was a hive of activity, with talented local performers sharing its stage with internationally renowned actors and musicians before the pandemic.

But while the popular venue has been unusually quiet, many of the groups associated with the Queen’s Hall have been excelling digitally.

And this week, artistic director Katy Taylor said the Queen’s Hall had received two recent funding boosts.

An award of £50,000 from the Garfield Weston Foundation will help with running costs over the next year, and ensure the venue can reopen its doors to the community when it’s safe to do so.

It follows a further contribution from Arts Council England to support the development of the Queen’s Hall’s new studio theatre.

Katy said: “The £50,000 means we can protect our staff team and make sure we can reopen our doors.

“Instead of worrying about income in the short term, we can plan longer term and make sure that when we do return we are not just the same Queen’s Hall as before - we'll be a better one.”

Katy said she was impressed at how people associated with the venue had excelled with technology during the pandemic, and all new skills will be used to enhance the Queen’s Hall experience when it opens again.

And the artistic director has target a summer reopening, provided government regulations allow.

Three dates have been scheduled for August, with an English Folk Expo gig from the Queen’s Hall set to be streamed internationally.

But Katy added: "The world has changed. People haven’t been gathering in groups for a long time now, and we can only go ahead with these plans if we're given the green light, and if it's safe.

"This would be a very special gig and we'd like it to be in front of an audience, even if it has to be a reduced capacity.

"We understand that people will be very cautious about attending events and we just have to build things up slowly."

With funding in place, and a dedicated approach to forward planning, Katy said the Queen's Hall was set up for a bright future.

"Our vision is long into the future, rather than into the next week" she explained. In December, the Queen’s Hall successfully launched a festive show, Christmas with the Hobs, a collaborative project alongside Alnwick Playhouse and Maltings Berwick.

Visit: www.queenshall.co.uk.