Brierley Hill Civic going from strength to strength
James Challis is a man with a mission to make a Black Country theatre a premier league entertainment venue, and he is appealing to the public to help him.
He is the general manager of Brierley Hill Civic Hall, a venue that came close to closure, was brought back to viability, only then to be hit by the pandemic and then start to flourish again.
Now back in full swing, with 150 publicly accessible shows and events in the year April to April, James says there are some big names on the way and appealed to the public to get behind the venue.
Brierley Hill Civic has hosted artists, performers and theatre productions since the 1960s, but over the years its usage had dropped while costs had risen. The hall was often closed during the day and it was not operating at its full potential as a hive for all sorts of activity.
In February 2015, Dudley Council entrusted Dudley Council for Voluntary Services (CVS) with rejuvenating it on an 18-month trial.
The trial was a success and during the 18-month period, the Civic was transformed from an underutilised and deteriorating venue into an award-nominated, five-star rated entertainment centre offering a huge range of events to suit all tastes and budgets.
The Civic then went through an asset transfer process for Dudley CVS charity to take over the running of the venue on a permanent basis, with James leading the team.
