NEWS
JVHOME OFFICIALLY OPENS IN ASHFORD
December saw the official opening of Jasmin Vardimon Company ’ s purpose built new headquarters on Javelin Way , Ashford ’ s newly coined Creative Enterprise Quarter .
Guests , who included The Rt Hon Damian Green , MP for Ashford were treated to welcoming speeches and a stunning excerpt from Jasmin Vardimon ’ s much praised latest work ALiCE , a reimagining of Lewis Carrol ’ s Alice In Wonderland , fresh from its national tour and run at Sadler ’ s Wells London .
Eight years in the planning and part-funded by a £ 3 million National Lottery grant with other financing from Kent County Council and Ashford Borough Council , JVHome also includes incubator and start-up spaces for emerging local creative companies and individuals . Community facilities include space for additional training courses , a pilates and yoga studio to house classes and a café for people to meet and socialise . The facilities are also available for the wider arts industry with a preview space for visiting companies to showcase new work .
Jasmin Vardimon Company ’ s building is part of the regeneration of the formerly disused site on the Henwood Industrial Estate in Ashford . Dubbed the
Creative Enterprise Quarter , the development will also become the home to other arts organisations in Kent in order to encourage connections and collaborations within a thriving arts community . One of the first of these is the leading music education charity Kent Music , which has moved from Maidstone .
HOSPICES OF HOPE NEW YEAR APPEAL FOR UKRAINE
Hospices of Hope , the Otford-based charity dedicated to supporting the development of hospice care in Eastern Europe has launched a new appeal for the new year to support its newest partner hospice - the Regional Palliative Care Centre Ivano-Frankivsk in Western Ukraine .
Providing medical care to 8,000 refugee patients as well as 150 palliative care patients is a monumental task for the medical centre as it faces the scourge of war in Ukraine . Over the past few months - thanks to the generous support of its donors - Hospices of Hope has been able to provide a brand new ambulance and a generator , enabling nurses to go out into the battlefield to rescue sick patients from underground makeshift shelters as well as provide desperately needed medical attention to patients that cannot be moved . The generator has enabled the medical centre to receive power during the constant blackouts , so that medical staff can provide continued medical services to the sick .
With your much-needed support , Hospices of Hope will continue to help Ukrainian refugee patients in their hour of need . You can donate in three ways : by visiting www . hospicesofhope . co . uk / Appeal / help-for-ukraine , via the QR code , or thirdly by contacting a member of the Hospices of Hope Team for further information about the New Year ’ s Appeal For Ukraine - or perhaps about volunteering for the charity - by calling 01959 525110 .
ASHFORD INTERNATIONAL STUDIOS PROJECT SET TO COMMENCE SUMMER 2023
Ashford Borough Council and Quinn Estates have revealed progress on the long awaited and internationally significant , film studio-led regeneration project on an architecturally significant site located adjacent to the International Station and opposite the McArthurGlen Ashford Designer Outlet .
The recently launched Ashford International Development Company is set to oversee delivery of the £ 250 million investment which has been supported by the Department for Levelling Up , Housing and Communities and will include film studios , new apartments , commercial space , digital industries skills and education centre , and hotel .
Cllr Gerry Clarkson , Ashford Borough Council executive leader , said : “ Not only will this put Ashford on the map nationally and internationally , it will also create sought after film studio space , provide thousands of jobs and make the town a hub for the creative arts industry , which is set to grow significantly in the future .”
To find out more about the proposals visit : www . ashfordinternationalstudios . com
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