A NEW performance venue in Ringwood has been given a boost of £50,000.

The Barn is a 600-seater venue, providing Ringwood School with extra space for a range of activities including exams and drama, as well as entertainment facilities for the wider community. It also boasts a cinema projection system.

The project has come to fruition after more than four years of planning.

The donation has been made by Ringwood Musical and Dramatic Society (RMDS) to continue its support for the development of performing arts in the town.

RMDS has a long association with Ringwood School having performed shows there since the early 1970s and previously supported the development of the school theatre with lighting, sound and tiered seating.

It says the development of The Barn offers exciting new opportunities for the performing arts in Ringwood, both for the students at Ringwood School and the wider community.

Chairman of RMDS, Mark Bodger said “We are proud to be able to continue our long association with Ringwood School and supporting the development of performing arts for which the school is so well renowned and the wider community.”

The Barn was developed to provide a new assembly hall and performance space for Ringwood School following a grant of £2.5m from the Condition Improvement Fund which in turn has allowed the development of a new dining facility for students, The Stables, in the space previously occupied by the school hall and theatre.

The Barn was officially opened on September 28.

Ringwood School head teacher Leanne Symonds added: “We are delighted to have a new venue which significantly improves provision for our students and also offers the town a space where performance arts can be showcased. We are incredibly grateful to RMDS for their very generous donation. Without such generosity The Barn would not be the building that it is today.”

RMDS is going to be treading the boards at The Barn this week in How the Other Half Loves by Alan Ayckbourn, which runs until October 28.