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Musical history of the Memo restored

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18 Nov 2014
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Cabaret singer Richard Beavis will be performing numbers from Phantom of the Opera, James Bond, Les Miserables and many more.

Cabaret singer Richard Beavis will be performing numbers from Phantom of the Opera, James Bond, Les Miserables and many more.

Saturday 22 November, 7pm

Tickets: £8, available from Newbridge Memo, Sainsbury’s Pontllanfraith and Jims in Newbridge

It has taken more than a decade of fundraising and campaigning to renovate Celynen Collieries Institute and Memorial Hall – better known as the Newbridge Memo.

When threatened with permanent closure, Howard Stone and other local volunteers stepped in to begin the long process of retaining what was left of the building.

This iconic Gwent building is a grade II-listed building, originally built to commemorate the people who died during the First World War. It was a hub for local miners throughout most of the 20th century.

It was a very successful cinema and ballroom until the 1970s but then television took over and cinema went downhill. The cinema at the Memo eventually closed in 1971.

The threat of selling it on or knocking it down brought a group together, and the restoration program for the Newbridge Memo began in 2003.

Funding and support has come from all directions, including Caerphilly County Borough Council, former Labour leader Neil Kinnock, Falklands hero Simon Weston, rock group the Manic Street Preachers and former local MP Lord Don Touhig. The Celtic Manor, owned by Newbridge-born Sir Terry Matthews, also helped.

The Newbridge Memo reopens for Movies to Movies

The first performance to take place in the newly refurbished Newbridge Memorial Hall will be Movies to Movies.

On November 14 2014 the £5.6m renovation of the Newbridge Memo was completed with contractors working seven days a week to finish the auditorium.

On November 14 2014 the £5.6m renovation of the Newbridge Memo was completed with contractors working seven days a week to finish the auditorium.

The event takes place on Saturday 22 November and will provide an evening of music from the West End and the Silver Screen.

Movies to Movies will include performances from Welsh award winning performer Richard Beavis, jazz singer Jack Wood, and Robert Knight, an American singer best known for the 1967 recording of “Everlasting Love”.

Broadway singer Samantha Lavender will also make a special guest appearance.

Howard Stone, Chair of Trustees of the Memo said, “We wanted the first event in the new ballroom to uphold the sentimental values and the history of the Memo. It was once a hub for film and music and we hope it will be once again.”

Cabaret singer Richard Beavis will be performing numbers from Phantom of the Opera, James Bond, Les Miserables and many more.

Cabaret singer Richard Beavis will be performing numbers from Phantom of the Opera, James Bond, Les Miserables and many more.

Saturday 22 November, 7pm

Tickets: £8, available from Newbridge Memo, Sainsbury’s Pontllanfraith and Jims in Newbridge

It has taken more than a decade of fundraising and campaigning to renovate Celynen Collieries Institute and Memorial Hall – better known as the Newbridge Memo.

When threatened with permanent closure, Howard Stone and other local volunteers stepped in to begin the long process of retaining what was left of the building.

This iconic Gwent building is a grade II-listed building, originally built to commemorate the people who died during the First World War. It was a hub for local miners throughout most of the 20th century.

It was a very successful cinema and ballroom until the 1970s but then television took over and cinema went downhill. The cinema at the Memo eventually closed in 1971.

The threat of selling it on or knocking it down brought a group together, and the restoration program for the Newbridge Memo began in 2003.

Funding and support has come from all directions, including Caerphilly County Borough Council, former Labour leader Neil Kinnock, Falklands hero Simon Weston, rock group the Manic Street Preachers and former local MP Lord Don Touhig. The Celtic Manor, owned by Newbridge-born Sir Terry Matthews, also helped.

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