| THE POLY: WE'RE IN. ARE YOU? |
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In January 2010 Falmouth’s beloved Poly closed its doors and a county mourned. A ‘Save Our Poly’ Facebook campaign was launched and over 5,200 people showed their support. Cut to July 2010 and the doors are back open, with the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society (RCPS) calling for a raft of new members to help keep it that way. Looking to recruit 2,000 new members by the end of the year, draw people back into the building and reinvent the Poly as a contemporary community space promoting the arts, science and innovation, the Society has its work cut out. However, with new blood on the RCPS board and a glut of membership benefits on offer, there’s a real sense of optimism in the air. “The best thing people can do to save the Poly is become a member of the RCPS,” explains new board member and founder of the Save The Poly Facebook campaign, Ciaran Clarke, 22. “For less than £2 a month, there’s priority booking, ticket discounts for special films and events, members’ social events, gallery and room hire reductions and much more. It’s all about building the Society’s membership in a meaningful way.”
"There’s so much potential for this amazing space right in the heart of Falmouth to be a really lively, buzzing hub that reflects Cornwall’s creative population,” expands fellow new board member, Stranger's Helen Gilchrist. “I'll certainly be tapping up a lot of my contacts from publishing the magazine and inviting them to get involved! I'd love to see a lively mix of contemporary theatre, alternative cinema, live music, dance, comedy, cabaret, art, illustration, design, workshops, talks, VJ-ing, socials, dance classes and the like on the programme – with science, green technologies, education and history a vital element too. The RCPS is so much more than just an arts centre – the Society has been promoting innovation and the arts in Cornwall for over 175 years, playing a key role in the development of numerous important inventions including pneumatic drills, the Cornish Man Engine, microscopes and uses of nitro‐glycerine (Alfred Nobel demonstrated the use of nitro-glycerine for the first time anywhere in the world at the RCPS exhibtion in 1865). We want to remain true to the Society's original goals of celebrating creativity, innovation, science, technology and education – but update them for 21st-century Cornwall, adding renewable energy, digital media and computer arts into the mix."
Anyone who is interested in using the space for events, exhibitions or classes should contact Ciaran Clarke on the Poly phone number 01326 319461 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it You can also view the hire tariff and photos of the spaces here. With a new programme on the cards in the coming months and lots more in the pipeline, becoming a member has never been more attractive, or significant. If you want to see the Poly continue to bring culture to the heart of Falmouth, now’s the time to sign up. Membership forms can be downloaded from the Poly’s new interim website, www.thepoly.org where you’ll also find a guide to what’s on, plus more information about the Poly, becoming a member and the Society itself. Seems to us £2 a month for a rich slice of cultural pie isn’t much to ask. We’re onboard. Are you? (Clare Howdle)
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