Improvement Works at The Oval
Hey there, friends and neighbours!
We’re so excited to share some amazing news with you! We’re making some incredible improvements to The Oval Bandstand and Lawns that we can’t wait for you to see up close!
Our main goal is to make sure that everyone in our community can enjoy the venue without any barriers or exclusions. That’s why we’re building a brand new fully accessible step-free terrace that includes a ramp down to the bandstand, so everyone can get up close to our wonderful performers. We’re also building several other ramps between the amphitheatre terraces to ensure that the venue is completely step-free for anyone with mobility issues.
In addition to these improvements, we’re also repairing the hardstanding, which has unfortunately started to break-up in several areas, to make sure it’s as safe as possible for all visitors.
Although the scaffold has come down from around the bandstand, we still have a bit more work to do, including some painting on the inside and adding lights and speakers. But it’s already looking magnificent after years of neglect, and we’re especially excited that the weather vane is now working for the first time in years!
We’re aiming to reinstall lots of festoon lighting and bunting as finishing touches to make the bandstand a place that everyone can be proud of, and to ensure it has a bright future as a vibrant community events space.
We’re working hard to ensure that the essential works are completed by the end of May 2023, and we appreciate your patience during this time. We’re really looking forward to welcoming you back to the venue each day and seeing you enjoy all of the amazing improvements we’re making!
While we’re still completing the works, we want to remind you that you’re always welcome to join us at any of our popular events, our summer programme has already started and will run to the end of September 2023. You can find all the details on our website ‘What’s On’ page, or book tickets at Eventbrite, and we hope to see you there!
One last thing we want to share with you is that these works are entirely self-funded by GRASS Cliftonville CIC and are not part of the Margate Town Deal. Unfortunately, our Margate Town Deal project has been on hold since October 2022 while we wait for Thanet District Council to produce our grant agreement so we can move onto the next stage. We don’t currently have a timeline for when this will be completed and our project can recommence.
Thank you for your support, and we’ll see you all soon!
Best,
Simon and Stephen*
GRASS Cliftonville CIC
*We are the proud managers of The Oval Bandstand & Lawns community events venue. We also manage GRASS Cliftonville CIC, and we’re not your typical business – we’re actually a not-for-profit social enterprise that’s all about making a positive impact on our local community and visitors like you!
