CCTV plan after fresh theatre vandal attack
THE Beaufort Theatre near Ebbw Vale has once again found itself under attack from vandals as the outer walls were defaced with paint and graffiti late on Thursday evening.
It followed a similar attack one month earlier, when windows near the front entrance were smashed in an act volunteers at the venue have called “disgusting”.
Locals have banded together in response to the vandalism, setting up a JustGiving page that has raised more than £500 in less than 24 hours.
Volunteers will look to redecorate the outside of the local landmark as soon as possible, as well as installing CCTV cameras to deter similar attacks in the future.
Sue Lewis, 62, managing director of the theatre, says she is grateful for the donations, though she describes the moment her heart sank when she heard the property had been vandalised again.
She said: “When I got to the theatre and saw what happened I just felt totally heartbroken to be honest with you.
“Everyone here works so hard, and to think there’s such a lack of respect for a building that’s so well used just leaves me speechless. Especially after a lockdown period where we’ve had no income to cover these sorts of repairs.
“Arts and theatre companies have been hit hard during the pandemic and obviously we’ve had to cancel all of our shows and close the cafe, so as you can imagine with bills to pay to keep the building running, it has been a real struggle for us.
“It feels like one thing after another at the moment, and after the windows were smashed in around a month ago, everyone who volunteers here was a bit deflated.
“Thankfully the community have come together and shown us a tremendous amount support with their donations, meaning we should have more than enough to get the building looking nice again this time round.
“Moving forward though we need to find a way to deter these sorts of acts from people who are ruining important parts of the community for everyone else. The first step will be getting the CCTV installed and we will be looking at our options from there.
“This building is a great asset to everyone in the area, and is a big part of our local heritage as well, so we just hope that people will want to protect that from now on.”
Built in 1908, the Beaufort theatre and Ballroom is situated on Beaufort rise near Ebbw Vale, and was used throughout the early 1920s as a cinema.
It was acquired by the council in 1960 and turned into a theatre, becoming well known throughout the valleys for hosting a variety of up and coming acts that have included Stereophonics, David Essex and Mott the Hoople.
It also shot to fame in 2009, after a famous Rhod Gilbert sketch compared a night in the downstairs ballroom to an episode of Ross Kemp on Gangs.
However, locals with a sense of humour would agree this only adds to the character of the iconic property.
Chris Evans is the secretary of the Beaufort Male Voice Choir, and says the building is so deeply embedded in the heart of the community here, everything possible should be done to maintain it.
He laughs: “Of course we have heard the Rhod Gilbert sketch which was very funny, but outside of that this building has a real sense of history and holds a lot of importance to local people.
“There are so many things going on here from dance classes, to art classes, and a variety of shows and entertainment.
“From a choir’s perspective we have been coming here for a long time, and host a number of big performances every year in a venue we consider to be our home ground.
“It’s a great place to perform and I think it’s great that the community has come together to raise funds to get the repairs done.”
Gwent Police say officers are currently investigating the incident and would would ask anyone with information relating to call 101 quoting log 61.
■ To make a donation towards the repairs at Beaufort Theatre, visit the JustGiving page - https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/beauforttheatrefundraiser