Blackwood residents take to the streets in rally to save miners institute

With Blackwood Miners’ Institute under threat, close to 1,000 residents took to the high street over the weekend to voice their concerns over a potential “mothballing”.

The theatre, which is one year away from celebrating 100 years in Blackwood, was named as one of two cultural venues in the borough to face potential mothballing.

The council currently provides a subsidy of £347,000 a year to the venue which has hosted the likes of Coldplay and Stereophonics.

To fight back against the potential closure, which is currently out for public consultation, Blackwood Town Council arranged a rally on Saturday September 7 which saw “close to 1000 people” march down the high street.

Speaking to Caerphilly Observer about the rally, Blackwood councillor Andrew Farina-Childs said: “It was really well attended and spoke volumes to the public feeling about this great venue.

“It’s such an iconic building at the heart of Blackwood, 34,000 people visited it last year and to remove that would be devastating to the area.”

The march, which began at Blackwood Library, snaked across Blackwood High Street into the retail park where politicians and members of the public told their stories and gave their reasons as to why the building should remain open.

Cllr Farina-Childs continued: “This has to send a message to the council. We cannot allow this to close. I fear what the loss of footfall may mean for the high street in general.

“We were beginning to make plans for the centenary year of the miners, now they’re paused of course.”

The county council maintains it needs to make “difficult” decisions to reduce its spending and save an estimated £45 million so it can balance its budget over the next two years.

Blackwood band Manic Street Preachers have been vocal against the potential closure, with Nicky Wire recently telling the BBC how the “magical venue” has to be saved.

As well as the Miners, Tudor manor Llancaiach Fawr, in Nelson, is also facing an uncertain future, and has has provoked an angry response from many.

Cllr Farina-Childs added: “There’s money to save the venue. I’ve been attending regularly all my life for all sorts of reasons. It will be a massive miss.”

In a joint statement, Plaid Cymru Senedd members Delyth Jewell and Peredur Owen Griffiths, who both joined the rally on Saturday, said: “We are writing to you as educational trade unions to alert you to the consultation and to urge you to encourage your members in the south east to make their views known. The two cultural institutions are cultural cornerstones of the community and have an important role educationally.

“We appreciate the difficult financial climate for local authorities, however the proposed cuts to two landmark buildings in our county, as well as cuts to a vital service on which so many vulnerable people depend have caused us great concern.

“The Blackwood Miners Institute is the centrepiece for performing arts in the whole of the county borough and has been a hub for fostering the local talent of the future, as it provides many opportunities for young people to get into dance, drama and music.

“We are equally concerned about the proposal to close Llancaiach Fawr. The manor house is an historical gem, and unique to our county borough. It provides rich and varied educational opportunities for local schools, as it brings history to life and allows them to understand the role our area played in notable historical events.”