About The Arts Centre

Pocklington Arts Centre is a not-for-profit arts & entertainment Venue in the heart of East Yorkshire grateful to our funding partners – Pocklington Town Council, Arts Council England and East Riding of Yorkshire Council for their generous ongoing support.

We pride ourselves on extending a friendly, inclusive welcome and delivering a diverse programme of music, comedy, theatre productions and cinema to the people of Pocklington and beyond.

The Arts Centre is held in high esteem by artists and visitors alike – attracting world class talent and creating opportunities for emerging artists in our intimate 200 seat auditorium.

We occupy a lovingly restored Grade II listed building with a fascinating history. Dating from 1690 as a residential dwelling for a local Doctor, to the 20th Century glamour of The Ritz Cinema and the intriguing Penny Arcadia Museum before being rescued from disrepair by Pocklington Town Council and a committed group of volunteers towards the end of the 1990s,  galvanized by Janet Farmer – our former Director of 22 years.

Pocklington Arts Centre officially opened its doors in April 2000, following an intensive period of fundraising to reveal the Venue we know and love.

As a Venue largely run by volunteers (over 50 at the last count!) and generously supported by Friends of Pocklington Arts Centre, we are firmly rooted in our community offering free, inclusive activities throughout the week including a community café on Tuesday mornings and our ever-popular Singing for Fun sessions every Thursday morning. We are committed to supporting local, independent artists with community engagement at our heart.

Meet the team

The Arts Centre welcomed a new Management Team in 2022: Angela Stone (centre) as Venue Director, Dave Parker (left) as Venue Manager, and Isobel Bielby (right) as Marketing & Administration Officer. We can’t wait to welcome you!

Angela Stone
Director

Angela has devoted the last 20 years to delivering high quality arts management across the region, from her role as Head of Marketing & Comms at Hull Truck Theatre, to running East Riding Venue, Howden Shire Hall.

Dave Parker
Venue Manager

Dave has worked within the events industry for almost 15 years, in some of the UK’s best-known venues including Fibbers, the Basement, Rock City and indigO2.

Isobel Bielby
Marketing &
Administration Officer

Izzy is responsible for our marketing, social media, and communications. She studied Music Business at Access Creative College, and then completed a Digital Marketing apprenticeship.

Management

Andrew Tyler
Angela Singh
Fiona Welburn
Rex Wood
Sheila Derrick
Sheila Webster

Bar staff

Andrew Tyler
Beth Anderson
Chris Waite
Jenny Bracegirdle
Megan Waite

Projectionists

Andrew Tyler
Beth Anderson
Chris Waite

Technicians

Benjamin Wall
Haydn Clements
Craig Rothery