Marcus Garvey Ballroom reopens after 18 months of fundraising (original) (raw)

Taylor said one of their priorities was to put the centre on a sustainable business footing and not rely on short-term grants.

"I'm pleased to say we're now on a really good terms with the council about this. We're going forward together.

"They've offered us a new lease, not just for here, the ballroom and the day centre below, but also the 33 small office units which make up the whole of this Howitt building.

"We've said we'll have discussions with them about the workshops at the back as well - what they call the Lenton Business Centre - but we will be taking over the whole of the building," he said.

Tyron Brown, who has been on the committee since it was set up, said: "I was absolutely shocked the amount of people that came to us and said this place cannot be closed, it's too important to us.

"I give you examples of people turning up and saying I met my husband here, I met my girlfriend here, we met in the car park and we're still married 30 years now, that kind of stuff. So we knew we couldn't just let people down."