Good as Gold
The Preston Guild Hall has long been an iconic snooker venue and used to host the UK Championship for many years. Now this building is under threat with its recent closure and staff laid off as the owner failed to reach an agreement with a management company to run the venue. Simon Rigby, the current owner, said the hall would have to close after he was forced to “review the viability” of the business. The building first opened in 1972 was bought by Rigby from Preston City Council in 2014 and pledged to invest £1 million. Rigby said negotiations with management firm VMS Live had overrun due to the death of its managing director.
The move will see both the 2000-capacity Great Hall and the 716-seat Charter Theatre closed indefinitely but businesses on the venue's ground floor will not be affected. My Rigby did not confirm the number of staff that have lost their jobs but said ticketholders for the cancelled shows would be refunded. He said he remained hopeful Preston Guild Hall Ltd would sign a long-term contract with VMS Live which would lead it back to "its rightful position as the leading regional live entertainment venue".
"Due to a tragic accident, we've been knocked back to square one [and] we're trying to find our feet", he said.
"One delay has led to another and we just can't get any certainty".
VMS Live managing director Steve Forster died in April after being injured in a road crash in March. If the Guild Hall were not to ensure a permanent contract and the building was closed in its current form, this would be a great loss to not only the Preston community but to the snooker world as well. The Guild Hall is steeped in history and has housed the UK Championship for so many years but if this bloodline was severed, this would not only sink its snooker history into oblivion but prevent future, potential events ever being staged there. That is why we must pray this never happens permanently and if the shutters do come down, we should set up a campaign to reopen it.
The move will see both the 2000-capacity Great Hall and the 716-seat Charter Theatre closed indefinitely but businesses on the venue's ground floor will not be affected. My Rigby did not confirm the number of staff that have lost their jobs but said ticketholders for the cancelled shows would be refunded. He said he remained hopeful Preston Guild Hall Ltd would sign a long-term contract with VMS Live which would lead it back to "its rightful position as the leading regional live entertainment venue".
"Due to a tragic accident, we've been knocked back to square one [and] we're trying to find our feet", he said.
"One delay has led to another and we just can't get any certainty".
VMS Live managing director Steve Forster died in April after being injured in a road crash in March. If the Guild Hall were not to ensure a permanent contract and the building was closed in its current form, this would be a great loss to not only the Preston community but to the snooker world as well. The Guild Hall is steeped in history and has housed the UK Championship for so many years but if this bloodline was severed, this would not only sink its snooker history into oblivion but prevent future, potential events ever being staged there. That is why we must pray this never happens permanently and if the shutters do come down, we should set up a campaign to reopen it.
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