PORTREEVE of Callington Rick Lumley said he was disappointed that a civic ball to celebrate the refurbishment of Callington Town Hall last Friday had to be cancelled because of a lack of interest.

But Mr Lumley, who is promoting the town hall as an entertainment venue, said it would not stop him in his efforts to provide a wide range of arts and entertainment in the town through the CAVe (Callington Arts Venue) initiative.

A programme of film shows, live music and theatre was developed last year in the town hall to complement the community events run by local organisations.

The civic ball included a three-course dinner and entertainment and was to showcase the £100,000 refurbishment to make the building more user friendly by improving access, installing a new kitchen and improving the bar area to accommodate a community cafe. The tickets had been reduced from £25 to £15 to get more people through the door.

The official opening of the new-look town hall will now take place at the mayor-making ceremony next Tuesday (May 25.)

Mr Lumley said ticket sales for the ball were not buoyant but also the band had pulled out at the last minute: 'It's a bit like the shows we put on; people seem to buy their tickets on the night but we could not leave it that late to make a decision so we had to cancel it.

'It is disappointing but maybe we put people off by calling it a civic ball. It was certainly an evening to celebrate all the good things that are happening in Callington and showcase the new facilities but maybe it would have been better calling it a dinner/dance.

'Having seen the town hall in operation for a number of things since the refurbishment it seems to be working really well and all the comments have been very positive.'

He added that the CAVe committee had put together a whole programme of events up to December and was also working hand in hand with the youth groups in the town to get a community youth café going.

'We hope the people of Callington will support these ventures and, if there is something in particular they would like to see, come along and join in the selection process.'

For more information about CAVe and events go to http://www.callingtoncave">www.callingtoncave.

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