A massive thanks to every one of the 1000+ of you who has shown support for this cause! Although it was ultimately too late to save the old college building, there are some big positives to take. It's great that so many people are excited about the arts and talking about a need for such a place in Chippenham. I'm going to leave the petition running for at least a few weeks longer while I figure out the next step. I think the main points to take away at the moment are: - We're a bit fed up of seeing new retirement homes being built in the town, and feel not enough is being done to provide for younger generations (both in affordable housing and things to do) - We'd prefer to see unused buildings repurposed to benefit the community than knocked down for retirement apartments (or as a free town centre car park for council employees) - There is a demand for artistic support at a grassroots level in Chippenham - People particularly feel there aren't enough activities for young people in the town Please feel free to join the Chippenham Arts, Culture, & Events facebook group and join the conversation about what to do next and how to address these points (link at end of email). Some of you may know I've also been out in Chippenham high street this week, having lots of conversations with people from the town. Something I've observed during these conversations is that some from certain demographics (I'd say around aged 40+) were telling me that actually there's already some good stuff happening in the town, where as younger generations (around 30 and under - and especially 13-25 year olds) tended to say that actually this wasn't the case and they feel there is nothing here for them. I'll be pondering over why that is and opening the discussion so watch this space... In the meantime here are some good local places to check out! The Cause https://thecausevenue.com/currently/ - Great for drama and choir groups The Neeld http://www.neeld.co.uk/ - Our town venue (it's growing slowly, worth supporting) Chippenham ACE Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/823916881083723/ - Just local people sharing what they do Riverbank Studios https://www.riverbankchippenham.co.uk/ - Music activities for 13-25 year olds (something I run, but hopefully it's not out of line for me to include it here)