Havant venue The Spring Arts and Heritage Centre set to reopen in September

A gradual approach to reopening after six months of closure will see the centre open from Tuesday, September 1, initially reopening the box office, museum and cafe from 10.30am to 2.30pm Monday to Friday.

To keep little ones entertained while the play area is still closed, visitors can request toy boxes from the box office, all of which are cleaned thoroughly after each use.

In addition, families can take advantage of a free museum trail to help get the most out of their visit and discover popular artefacts and displays such as the 1950s recreation kitchen and an interactive model of the Hayling Billy train.

Sophie Fullerlove, director of The Spring, said: ‘We’re so excited to be reopening our doors. We’ve put in a lot of work to make sure The Spring will be as safe as we can make it when visitors return. We’re taking things slowly to ensure that we get everything right.

‘I know everyone in the team has really missed the day to day interactions with our supporters and local community, and we’re delighted to be welcoming people back through our doors.’

There will also be a new exhibition in the Mezzanine Gallery featuring work from local artists. The Lockdown Series will be a free exhibition that showcases artwork created over the last few months by Nic Cowper and Jules Roper, who both run art classes at the venue.

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A limited number of live events will return including The South Coast Comedian of the Year competition and toooB!, a show for babies and toddlers.

Before lockdown, The Spring had been working with Gobbledegook Theatre on The Cycle Project, but it is not possible to continue so instead the team will be creating Signs of Solidarity, an exhibition that celebrates lockdown heroes who have made a positive difference to the community.

With plans to reopen in full swing, The Spring has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help the arts centre successfully recover from the impact of Covid-19. Visit justgiving.com/campaign/RevitalisingTheSpring to learn more.

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