Ely Cinema

Message from Jane Wilson, Director of ADeC 

Firstly, I’d like to thank you for the huge amount of support we’ve received in the last few days – it’s been really great to find out how much our work is valued across East Cambridgeshire.

I’m very glad that East Cambridgeshire District Council took the decision it did last night. Whilst the reduction in funding from East Cambridgeshire District Council will inevitably have some impact on ADeC services, as part of the voluntary sector we are able to work in a different way, in partnership with local communities, and it is local support that will help us to find new ways to continue providing the arts in East Cambridgeshire. We will be actively fundraising, generating additional income, sourcing new funding streams, seeking new volunteers and continuing to offer some fantastic events for you to enjoy.

At the heart of ADeC, as well as our core professional staff team, there are literally hundreds of volunteers who use their time to help us run facilities such as Ely Cinema, the Babylon Gallery, the arts in cambs on tour scheme, and help with promoting our events throughout the district. Arts Crew, our recently established volunteer programme specifically for young people, is developing the next generation of arts volunteers.

As a charity we are also able to fundraise, and giving directly to ADeC is a very cost effective way to support the arts locally. We are just about to confirm the future of the Babylon Gallery in Ely, when we sign the lease to keep the building and retain the Gallery as a public venue, and we will be asking the public to support the running costs of the Gallery directly – this will be a great opportunity to help us develop a very popular local amenity. We very much hope you will be able to join us on Saturday 6 February from 2-4pm at the Gallery to launch our new exhibition “Ink” from talented local artists Cary Outis and Steven Bramble so that we can thank you personally.


Finally, and most importantly it’s crucial that you continue to support your local arts by going out and taking up the opportunities that are on offer. You can find out what’s on by visiting our website – www.adec.org.uk, signing up to our e-bulletins, and joining our Facebook group.


Again, many thanks for your support.

Jane Wilson and the ADeC Team