Local entertainment venues have announced temporary closures or schedule changes in light of government recommendations to isolate and practise social distancing.
The Lighthouse Theatre in Poole, Bournemouth International Centre, The Regent Centre in Christchurch and the Tivoli in Wimborne have all made announcements recently about their planned events and cinema screenings.
The Lighthouse, Poole
From Tuesday 17 March until Tuesday 14 April 2020, Poole Lighthouse will be closed for all public events, including cinema screenings and live performances. In a statement, they have said: “As there is no clear guidance from Public Health England or the government about specific time frames, we will take advice during this time as to whether a further period of closure will be required.”
They have assured customers they are attempting to reschedule planned events where possible. In the meantime, they will be directly contacting anyone who has already bought tickets and have asked that customers avoid calling or emailing the centre, as they will provide updates when they have more information.
In reference to the customers whose events cannot be rescheduled, they added: “This is a very difficult time for everyone. Lighthouse is a charity and most of our funding comes from people seeing our shows and spending money on tickets, drinks and refreshments. Ticket holders are being asked to please consider donating the cost of their ticket rather than requesting a credit or refund.”
Updates are expected to be delivered via their Twitter and Facebook channels or their website.
Bournemouth International Centre (BIC)
Although the BIC has not yet confirmed specific closures or cancellations, their website was updated yesterday with the following statement:
“We note the recent advice from the UK Government in relation to social distancing and are currently liaising with promoters and event organisers.
Further updates will be posted in due course and ticket holders of any events that are either postponed or cancelled will be contacted directly.
Please bear with us while we confirm this information and do not telephone the venue directly.”
For further updates, please visit their website or Twitter feed.
The Tivoli Theatre, Wimborne
The Tivoli has also made the decision to close but has not confirmed any specific re-opening date, instead indicating that they will be monitoring the situation and will provide updates at a later date. They added: “We are hoping to reschedule as many live events as possible, in which case, our Box Office staff will be making every effort to contact ticket holders for the affected shows.”
You can access their updates via their website and on their Twitter and Facebook pages.
The Regent Centre, Christchurch
The centre closed officially yesterday and they have not yet indicated a date to re-open, releasing a statement from general manager Matthew Vass-White via its website that adds:
“It is impossible to realise the full impact the coronavirus will have on the Regent Centre and other local arts organisations. If you are a ticket holder, we will be contacting you in the coming weeks regarding the status of your transaction. You do not need to contact us. If your event remains postponed or cancelled, we’ll discuss whether you’d like to support us by donating your tickets to our development fund. Alternatively, we may ask if you’d like to convert your tickets into a gift voucher to use at another time. With a reduced number of staffing, it may take us some time to contact you so please do bear with us.’
They have assured customers they will continue their plans to improve the building and prepare for the anticipated refurbishment in summer, as well as adding to their upcoming programme of events.”
They will be publishing updates on their website, Facebook and Twitter.