County's biggest events venue finally reopens
BBCA county's biggest events venue is reopening almost three years after faulty concrete was found in its roof.
The Sands Centre in Carlisle is hosting its first event later since the auditorium shut down in September 2023 to remove 200 tonnes of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac).
The venue, owned by Cumberland Council, had been expected to reopen last autumn, but damage caused by Storm Eowyn delayed the £2.5m work.
Council leader Mark Fryer said: "I can remember standing in the civic centre watching the roof starting to blow off and my heart sank, my stomach turned, but here we are, 18 months later, open and ready to go."
The closure left Cumbria without its largest indoor venue.
Less than a year later, the Forum in Barrow was also closed due to asbestos problems, leaving the county without two major events spaces.
R&B band The Drifters are the first act to take to the stage at The Sands on opening night.
Shows planned this year include Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra in July and comedian Jimmy Carr in September, as well as events by local dance and theatre groups.
Stuart Walker/Cumberland CouncilDuring the work, the cafe, pool and sporting facilities part of the leisure centre, which had undergone a £27m refurbishment in 2022, remained open.
Fryer said some of the issues had been out of the council's control, such as changes over how safe Raac was deemed.
Fryer said: "One day everything was OK and then the government decided it wasn't the following day - but here we are, open again."
He added the Labour-led local authority had decided to carry out other work to improve seating, sound and lighting while the venue was closed.
"We took the opportunity, rather than sort of make do and mend, which would be the normal approach for the local authority or or others," he said.
He added it meant the venue would be fit for the future.
"It's just [securing] the next 25 years of good quality cultural entertainment in the city, whether it be top class acts or even the kids going on the stage and dancing, because that's what it's about."
