ARTS and community sector experts have formed a new group to explore how Bromsgrove's Artrix theatre can be brought back into use.

The group, chaired by Jane Earl, former Chief Executive of the Rich Mix community arts hub in Bethnal Green, has been formed by the Artrix Holding Trust to bring local, regional and national expertise into the discussion around the facility.

They will meet every month to provide advice and support to the trustees of the Artrix and contains representatives from Bromsgrove Arts Alive, the Bromsgrove Society, the Tell Me What You Want project, and the Bromsgrove Partnership (Community Wellbeing Theme Group), along with Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership, Arts Council England, and the Theatres Trust.

Jane said: “Artrix is a wonderful asset to Bromsgrove that, like local community arts venues everywhere, is facing up to some significant challenges. We hope and believe that as a group of experienced people in the local community and beyond, we can help the trustees get this superb venue back up and running again and doing what it was built to do: provide a great space for culture and the arts in Bromsgrove.”

The chair and vice chair of the holding trust, Margaret Sherrey and Stuart Laverick, have oversight of the work of the group.

Margaret added: “We are delighted to welcome this expertise and advice from both the arts sector and the community served by Artrix into the project.

“As trustees we want to ensure we are making the most well-informed decisions on Artrix that we can. Engaging with experts and the community is an essential part of that, as we aim for a new, sustainable, community arts operation at Artrix. Their advice will be invaluable.”

The trust has been working on a new future for the Slideslow Drive venue since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic when its previous operator went into administration.

The building continues to be used by the NHS as a temporary mass vaccination centre.