Save the Cafe Royal, Bridport

It's been a busy old time in Bridport...

I'm currently devoted to my "Save the Cafe Royal" campaign, with our iconic Cafe due to go to auction this coming Friday 26 Feb. However, we're hoping to pursuade the West Dorset District Council to postpone the auction, and allow the local community to make them the first offer...

Community Group Offers to Buy the Cafe Royal

A consortium of local people from Bridport is hoping to save the Cafe Royal for the benefit of the community. The group has come together with the express desire to buy, repair and refurbish the Cafe Royal, so that it can continue to serve the town and also grow to become an iconic destination for travelers to the South West.

Representatives from the consortium are now in negotiations with the West Dorset District Council in the hope that they will be allowed to make an offer for the properties before they go to auction on 26 February. They believe this is their last chance to safeguard the future of the Cafe Royal for the community.

The consortium includes several antiques dealers from the Vintage Market on the St Michael's Trading Estate. They are keen to reinstate the period & retro furnishings in the Cafe and believe it could become a really popular destination, attracting hundreds visitors to the town from across the country - just as the Ace Cafe, in North London attracts thousands of bikers.

Kit Glaisyer, who started the campaign to save the Cafe Royal says "this iconic building should really have been offered to the local community before going to auction. I really hope the WDDC decides to postpone the auction and give local people the first option to buy the Cafe Royal, so that it can continue to serve both visitors and local people. I'm particularly concerned that if it goes to auction this much-loved local asset could be sold to an unsympathetic developer who would just knock it down to build more houses. Instead, we should take this opportunity to let the community refurbish the Cafe into a brilliant retro venue, which would soon become a huge asset to the town."

He goes on to say "we've had an amazing public response to our campaign, and what's really exciting is that we now have a group of local people eager to buy the Cafe, who appreciate it as a unique and valuable local asset, and want to make it into the iconic destination it deserves to become."

To join our Save the Cafe Royal Facebook Campaign, click here.

To give you an idea of what's possible with a refurbished Cafe Royal, I've attached some photos of the Ace Cafe in North London, that attracts thousands of bikers and vintage car enthusiasts throughout the year...

The Ace Cafe is a popular destination for bikers from across the UK

Kit's Saturday Open Studios

My Saturday Open Studios are continuing this week.

Apologies to those who came last week, I was caught up in the "Spirit of Bridport" launch at the Bridport Arts Centre (which went very well). You can find out more about the Spirit of Bridport in my previous post, and at the website www.spiritofbridport.org

The other important issue I'm concerned about is the upcoming auction of the iconic Cafe Royal in Bridport. You can read join the Facebook group, and read more about it at the Real West Dorset blog.


On a lighter note(?) is the imminent release of the new album by local girl PJ Harvey. I was fortunate to see her play live at Eype Church - where she recorded the album - in December, and you can catch a number of interviews with her, include NME, 6 Music, Radio 4 and the Culture Show. You can also listen to her entire album online, here.

For see more of my art visit my website, or visit Bridport.org to see what else is going on art-wise in Bridport.

Official Launch of the Spirit of Bridport

Spirit of Bridport Launch

Saturday 5 February 2011, 10am onwards

Saturday 5th February sees the official launch of the Spirit of Bridport at the Bridport Arts Centre. Spirit of Bridport was created by Councillor Ros Kayes in 2007 to maximise the potential for the Bridport economy while the Olympics are being held at Weymouth.

The group has now grown in scope, with representatives from across the community working together to offer a forum to support local organisations and promote the Best of Bridport leading up to 2012 and beyond.

There are 3 events taking place on Saturday 5th February - a Community Market at the Bridport Arts Centre in the day, then an invitation-only official Launch Event in the evening - followed by an informal get-together & networking event at the Hayloft, behind the Bull Hotel, Bridport.

1 Community Market 10am to 2pm
From 10am to 2pm there will be a Community Market at the Bridport Arts Centre, at which you can find out about the wealth of events, activities & opportunities on offer in Bridport. There will be a number of performances, presentations and demonstrations by local organisations, with something that should appeal to all ages, including:
2 Evening Launch 6:30 to 8:30pm
The evening event will start at 6:30pm with Bristol-based band “Bucky” premiering a new song about Bucky Doo, along with video projections of a newly-commissioned moving-image work by artist Sue Palmer - who worked with young people at PVA MediaLab and familiar faces from around the town.

This will be followed by an invitation-only Launch event to introduce local groups & organisations to the Spirit of Bridport, and will include an introduction by mayor Geoff Ackerman and short talks by Ros Kayes (Spirit Chair), Polly Gifford (BAC Director), Gary Fooks (Team Dorset), and Candida Blaker (Earth Festival Lyme Regis).

If your organisation has not yet received an invitation to the Launch event please contact Linda Bullock at Bridport Town Council on 01308 456722

3 Informal get-together & networking event 8:30pm onwards
The Launch event will then be followed by a chance to relax at an informal networking event at the Hayloft, behind the Bull. Everyone is invited to join us, meet new people and catch up with friends, from 8:30pm onwards.

To find out more visit the website www.spiritofbridport.org

Rob Ridge demonstrates his amazing BMX skills outside the Bridport Arts Centre between 10am to 2pm on Saturday 5th February


A detail of the painting "Spirit of Bridport" by 19th Century artist Fra Newberry - inspiration for our group