CENTRAL Coffee Shop UPDATE

Here are some photos of the coffee shop development at Central Hall as well as a concept image of the potential exterior signage, although this might be a little bit tooooo much - it looks great!

BALLET EXPERIENCE

Took Lottie to the ballet at the Mayflower Theatre at the weekend as part of her birthday celebrations. We saw the English National Ballet perform the classic ballet Swan Lake.

I was quite pleased with myself, Lottie had wanted to got to the ballet for years and we had got great seats right in the centre. In fact Lottie was SO impressed with the seats she thought we must have someone else's - and...

... she was right! doh!

Just as the performance was about to start a well dressed couple wondered if we might have their seats (you know that horrible feeling that drains through you as you realise you have made a mistake...), well they were right and I was wrong we were meant to be up in the balcony not the dress circle!!!! By the time we got up the stairs to the balcony the performance started and we had to sit and wait for the first interval at the very back until we could get to our correct seats.

The show was amazing (even if you couldn't see their faces!) with a 45 piece live orchestra and incredible dancers. By the end of Act 2 I didn't have a clue what it was about. They really could do with a script or some lyrics! I had to look up a synopsis of the story during the interval to work out what was actually going on!

Definitely recommend it as an incredible feast of creativity, but read what its about before you go and check and then double check you have the right seats!!

Thanks Ali & Mark for the having the kids for the night - you guys are amazing...

CENTRAL COFFEE SHOP

Building work has at last begun on the new coffee shop at Central Hall. As with most projects it has taken a long time to get started but now it is moving hopefully I will be able to keep the momentum going so we can open in January.

The plan is to create a new entrance to Central Hall off the pavement with a ramp to allow easy access for wheelchairs and buggy's. The coffee shop, which we are planning to call CENTRAL, will become the main day entrance into the fantastic newly refurbished facility with plans to provide a number of services to the local community.

When Central Hall was opened in 1925 it declared that it was a centre for the community of Southampton. They regularly opened up the building as a cinema for the dockyard children, a rickets health clinic and a poor lawyer. Unfortunately the church numbers dwindled and the premises were sold to Hampshire Education Authority to be used for lectures and exams. Fortunately in 1989 New Community Church bought the property and mentioned to the local newspaper that Central Hall would become a 7 day a week church. Well almost 20 years later on God's purposes and plans are becoming a reality and I am so pleased just to be part of what he is doing here in Southampton.

Watch this space and I will try and keep you updated as the building work progresses...