The Beehive community arts venue is open again for classes, community activities and meetings and our events programme restarts on 11 June.

The team are working hard behind the scenes to make sure that we reopen safely and that everyone will feel comfortable and reassured.

A big thank you to all of our Beehive community who responded to our reopening survey in the last two weeks. The Beehive is your community venue and knowing how you are feeling about returning is important to us.

We had 1,104 survey responses, which is brilliant and really helpful with our re-opening planning.

The survey was very positive which was a real relief to us after such a difficult year.

Confidence levels were high (8.8/10) in The Beehive making sure the appropriate measures would be in place for keeping visitors and staff safe.

Please be assured that we have been going through all the responses and concerns you have and will do our best to address them.

When asked what people missed most about not attending events during Covid-19, the most popular responses were the buzz of a live event, an opportunity to be with friends, seeing artists I love in person, and watching cinema – the quality of the image and sound.

We were interested to discover that 54% of people stated that they would be more likely to attend with socially-distanced seating and mask wearing, 16% said they would be less likely to attend and 30% of people didn't mind either way.

We were very reassured to discover that 67% of survey recipients had received both vaccines and 28% had received their first vaccine.

Upcoming events

June events begin with Undercover Hippy (full band) on Fri the 11th. The band are festival regulars and are described as politically-driven acoustic roots reggae folk-hop, with feel-good vibes and a sly sense of humour.

On Sat 12 June there's a chance to see Lyme Regis on the big screen in Ammonite (15), a romantic drama in which a young woman (Saoirse Ronan) is sent to stay with Victorian fossil-hunter Mary Anning (Kate Winslet).

The triple Oscar-winning film Nomadland (12A) will be on Fri 18th.

Critically acclaimed as one of the world's greatest tribute shows, Simon & Garfunkel Through The Years performed by Bookends will be here on Sat 19th June, with two shows at 6.30pm and 9pm.

On Saturday 26th June at 4pm and 7.30pm is Peter Rabbit 2 (U).

As a result of the survey, we have decided to continue with socially-distanced seating beyond the required date of 21st June for all our July cinema events.

Films are now on sale and include Dream Horse (U), Sound of Metal (15), The Father (12A), Calamity Jane (U) and Cruella (12A).

You can book in a group of up to 6 from any number of households, or in a group of any size from up to two households (each household can include an existing support bubble, if eligible).

Our heartfelt thanks go to our audiences and friends whose unwavering support has meant so much to us. We are now reaching out to ask for your continued support as we open our doors again and deliver what promises to be a fantastic summer back at the Beehive.