On Friday 13th December, London Borough of Hillingdon (LBH) confirmed that they had found a new operator to take over from Trafalgar Theatres and run the the Beck Theatre from January 13th, ensuring a seamless transition and confirmation that the doors will stay open and the venue will not close. Parkwood Theatres will take over the running of the Beck on a 15 year lease with a possible further 10 year extension.
 

The Beck is so much more than a theatre, and helps countless people from across the borough with all the amazing charitable and outreach work it does. Many see it as their lifeline, giving those an opportunity to meet new people and see live theatre which isn’t accessible to them anywhere else.

We created the Back The Beck campaign to rally the community and to show LBH just how much this venue means to the community. We staged demonstrations, ran 2 petitions receiving over 12,000 signatures and organised a public meeting. We mobilised the press and gained a huge amount of traction across local and national media. 

The support has been truly overwhelming. The power of the community to fight for what they believe in cannot and must not be understated, and on Friday we finally got the result we all were hoping for - that the Beck’s future will be secured for the long term. We cannot put into words just what this means. For residents of Hillingdon, they get to keep a treasured asset which is so vital for the people of Hayes and beyond. We’ve secured the home for the Beck Community Choir, the Beck Youth Theatre and have also protected the Beck’s Summer Project, which has been running since 1987. These organisations have helped bring communities together and supported a huge number of people who call the Beck their home. They have provided members with lifelong skills and friends for life, in a time when youth and social clubs are closing every day. The British Airways Cabin Crew Entertainments Society, who in the last 3 years alone have raised over £110,000 for charity, will also be able to remain and thrive, continuing their excellent work. These groups, alongside the countless dance schools and community groups would have been forced to look outside the borough for a new home, as none of the smaller local venues could have accommodated them. We’ve shown the importance of community, of people coming together to fight for what they believe in. 

We would like to thank everyone who has engaged with our campaign. You signed our petitions, you attended our public meeting, and fought off the wind and the rain at our demonstrations. You showed LBH that arts and culture matters, and that we must protect the things we hold dear.
 

We must also thank LBH and Blue Horizon. It has been a difficult few months and we have been applying a great deal of pressure to get the result our community was so desperately crying out for. We are grateful that at this late stage, when we were losing hope of a deal, that LBH have managed to restore some credibility and trust with their residents to provide the Beck Theatre with a long term future that we fought so hard for.
 

But finally, we must give thanks to the Beck Theatre staff who have had to endure an impossibly difficult few months faced with uncertainty about their own futures. From the permanent staff, to the local volunteers and casuals, they all have an undying love for the Beck. Buildings are so much more than the bricks they are built from, and we thank them in advance for their support as they transition to a new operator, and with all the challenges that brings.
 

And so for now we celebrate this monumental victory and savour this moment where people power won against the establishment, at near impossible odds. At this festive time, we certainly have been gifted the best Christmas present anyone could have asked for. But for the Beck to continue to thrive, we must continue to support it. Whilst the programme for 2025 is currently still limited given the uncertainty of the last few months, the future is bright.
 

And at this Christmas time, what better way to celebrate than with a night out at the pantomime Aladdin, or buy a gift voucher as a gift for someone to use at the Beck in the new year. Tickets are available and can be purchased at www.becktheatre.org.uk