MAY 2011 - Stoke-on-Trent City Council

32 Our City <strong>MAY</strong> <strong>2011</strong>
Dancers tap
into funding
RIALTO RETURNS...
Dance partners Matthew Coombes and
Helen Morris trip the light fantastic in
the ballroom which has been restored
with the help of a council grant.
to relaunch
city ballroom
DANCING is back at <strong>Stoke</strong>’s
iconic Rialto Ballroom after
two fleet footed local
entrepreneurs tapped into council
funding.
The Church Street venue first opened in
1929 and after its heyday during the war
years was used as a cinema, shopping
arcade, restaurant and The Conservative
Club.
It fell into decline after closing in 1998
but has now been brought back to life by
business partners Kieran Kelly and Gerry
Dee with the help of Enterprise Coach
Gayle Jessiman at Business Enterprise
Support.
They wanted to expand their highly
successful K-Dee-K Danceworks dance
school nearby and knew the ballroom on
their own doorstep was ideal so Gayle
helped them access £5,000 from the City
Wide Grant Fund.
That paid for a new ballroom floor and
the business partners pumped in another
£15,000, spending 10 weeks putting the
sparkle back into the derelict first floor
ballroom, installing chandeliers, mirrors, a
state-of-the-art sound system and
completely re-decorating.
Kieran, a qualified dance teacher who has
represented his native Ireland at Ballroom
and Latin competitions around the world,
remembers dancing at the original Rialto
back in the early 90s when <strong>Stoke</strong> was a
training mecca for the country’s best
ballroom talent – including current Strictly
Come Dancing professional Darren Bennett.
“Most of our new customers are gob
smacked when they come into the Rialto for
the first time. They can’t believe what they
see when they get here,” said Kieran.
“We are very proud of what we have
achieved and could not have done it without
the help of so
many people.
Friends and
customers were
very kind and
lent a hand.
There was a real
community spirit
surrounding the
work here.
“None of this
would have been
possible without all
of Gayle Jessiman’s
help and advice and
ultimately her helping
us secure a business
expansion grant from
<strong>Stoke</strong>-on-Trent City
Council.
Former glory
“We are indebted to her
and the council for their
foresight and trust in these
difficult economic times. With
cutbacks all around, we feel very
lucky to have received the help and
support of the council in creating this
wonderful amenity for the local community
and bringing this very historical building
back to its former glory.”
More than 200 people attended the
launch event, including former customers
who remembered it during the war years.
Enterprise Coach Gayle Jessiman, who
helped it all happen, was also there.
She said: “It was absolutely fabulous. I’m
a ‘Strictly’ fan so it was nice to see the
Rialto back as a ballroom and being used for
what it was originally intended.
“Kieran and Gerry were referred to me by
Kevin Bell, the <strong>Stoke</strong> Regeneration
Manager. We do help existing businesses as
well as
people
planning start-ups,
so I was able to signpost
them to the City Wide Grant Fund
and support them during the application
process.”
The Rialto Ballroom now offers a wide
variety of dance classes for all ages and
abilities. The venue also hosts regular tea
dances and social nights while top dancers
from around the country use it as a
training base.
If you think you
might benefit from the
advice of an Enterprise
Coach call Gayle Jessiman on
07969 557915 or email her on
gaylej@enterprisesupport.org or
go to www.enterprisesupport.org
For more information about The
Rialto go to www.rialto
ballroom.co.uk or call
01782 414115.
Colourful festival set to draw thousands to museum
THOUSANDS of visitors will flock to
the 18th annual Canals Festival at
Etruria Industrial museum on 4 and 5
June.
As well as old favourites like the
museum’s historic engine Princess in
full steam, there will be live music,
stalls, traditional canal boats and a
parade by huge, colourful figures
called the Chester Giants.
Dozens of brightly-decorated canal
boats will give a flavour of Britain’s
waterway tradition at one of the city’s
biggest community events.
Museum Manager Clodagh Cherry
said: “We are looking forward to a
great weekend again this year and
hope to welcome everyone who came
last year and many new visitors. It’s a
great way to spend time with the
family with lots of exciting activities
for visitors to see and take part in.
“This festival has attracted people
to <strong>Stoke</strong>-on-Trent from all over the
country and hopefully we can have
another high turn out for what is now
the eighteenth Canals Festival.”
● For more information or to book a
stall please contact Etruria Industrial
Museum on 01782 233144.
Flashback
to last
year’s canals
festival.
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