Public open day held for Lancaster’s Storey Centre

A public open day was held at the weekend for the newly refurbished Storey Creative Industries Centre in Meeting House Lane, Lancaster city centre.

The £4m refurbishment was completed over a two year period having started in October 2007.

Visitors to the open day had a chance to learn about the Storey Centre's plans during presentations by Neil Simpson, who is the manager of the centre. A new exhibition in the gallery, free tastings in the NICE cafe bar, a restaurant, and live music were some of the attractions being shown.

The Storey Creative Industries Centre also includes a new Visitor Information Centre, auditorium, lecture theatre, and offices aimed for the creative industries.

Adrian Mills, head of business and planning for Children's BBC and a former student of St Martin's College in Lancaster, officially opened the centre last Friday.

On the Saturday more visitors were given the opportunity to view the newly branded Storey Creative Industries Centre as part of a staggered opening.

Mills will be responsible for moving Children's BBC to its new Media City base in Salford, from London, and the management team at the new Storey Centre are aiming to build links between Lancaster and the BBC's new home.

Originally built in 1891, the Storey Institute was a gift from industrialist Sir Thomas Storey.

Lancaster City Council, the European Union, the Arts Council and the North West Development Agency supplied funding for the building work.