Scribblers on the move: Shock horror

 View from The Boat House in the Marina and below the building in question with its large terrace.

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 31^st 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