It is
the most unbelievable news, that our home of almost a year, the Look and Sea
Centre has closed suddenly and been out into the hands of administrators. The
whole of the Harbour Lights Café complex was closed at the end of day without
warning it seems. At 5.30pm on Friday August 31st less than a week
after our last poetry group get together in the meeting room upstairs. Everybody
has had the same reaction to the news when they hear of it, which is generally
an exclamation of “But it’s always packed”. And indeed it was. It seems however
that the restaurant being full every moment of the day was not enough to save
the entire complex that spreads over three floors.
We have
been happy using the meeting room for all the meeting of our first year as a
group a I was thrown into a bit of a flap realising that I must try to find a
new venue quickly, well at least before our next meeting. I read in the local
paper that Julie Fear who is the owner of another busy restaurant in the
town, had offered any displaced parties
a home at The Boat House in the Marina.
I emailed Julie as soon as I heard to ask if that was correct. Over the course
of a couple of weeks I have been in to The Boat House and had talks with Julie
who is happy for us to make a few booking and see how it pans out. It is a real
pain in the neck for a number of reasons, including for me, that all the nice
glossy cards I had printed are now totally redundant.
I have had some more
printed that just show my contact details but not the venue just in case things
don’t work out, though I hope to goodness we will settle there. The other point
is that I have reverted to the original name of ‘Scribblers’ for the group
since the change to ‘The Harbour Lights Poets’ was so short lived. Doomed maybe,
I never was happy with that name change.
Like any
move, there are a number of things to consider. Firstly and importantly, that
although we have been invited to make the place our new home, that there is not
the luxury of quiet private room as we had enjoyed Look and Sea. This would
mean that other people taking tea or a coffee and cake or a full meal, will
come and go whilst we read to each other giving us the chance to see how we
will take to being beginner performance poets. EEEEK! Scary stuff. Who knows,
the clients may like it and many we will too, in the fullness of time, as all
our quite dreadful politicians say to glibly.
Well
cutting to the chase, I have booked several dates and all we can do, is give
the idea a chance. It is also a lovely position, right in the Marina looking
out at the River Arun as we did before, but from the west bank of the river
this time.
There is plenty of parking there and no meters either. That's me above on a bike ride visit.
It is
possible to walk there from the town via the foot bridge by the Arun View pub
close to the station. The Marina
entrance is adjacent to the foot bridge. You can also drive there easily enough.
From the roundabout at Tesco’s, you carry on over the road bridge in the
direction of Bognor Regis but take the first turning on the left, which turns sharply
back toward the river again as if heading for the foot bridge from the west
side or as you would do to go to West Beach or the golf course. Then just
before the foot bridge, you turn left into the Marina area and continue toward the building
that is The Boathouse. Most of us have been loads of times though in our case
it was usually on our bikes.
The Boat
House has a great menu for breakfast lunch or afternoon tea. The coffee and cakes
are all excellent too. This meeting will be our first birthday celebration so I
am hoping and praying that as many as possible of you will come and try to make
a big success of our big move. There will be cake.
An exciting new path, where will it lead us
