![Bellerby Studio Launch 1[1].jpg](https://www.essentialsurrey.co.uk/downloads/1034/download/Bellerby%20Studio%20Launch%201%5B1%5D.jpg?cb=0ab4039970faf2bbb6e976d3a13e2ca6&w={width}&h={height} "Bellerby Studio Launch 1[1].jpg")
G Live’s Studio re-named to recognise eminent local residents, Bill and Doreen Bellerby
The outstanding contributions that well- known local residents, Bill and Doreen Bellerby, have made to the Guildford community are to be recognised at a special event at G Live on Friday 25 January. The town centre venue will be re-naming its Studio space as ‘The Bellerby Studio’, in recognition of the considerable support that the couple have given to the arts over the last fifty decades. The Mayor of Guildford, Councillor Diana Lockyer-Nibbs will be joining councillors, local arts representatives and G Live Studio customers to celebrate their achievements and the occasion will be marked by the unveiling of a plaque in their honour.
Bill and Doreen Bellerby, now both in their 90s, have been involved in local politics and the arts for a large part of their lives. Bill Bellerby was Mayor of Guildford for two consecutive years from 1972 -74 and a Guildford Borough Council councillor for 43 years. The couple were made honorary Freemen of Guildford in 1995, an honour which has only been bestowed upon 17 people in 150 years. Both were awarded MBEs, honorary graduates of the University of Surrey in 1991 and have actively campaigned for causes including the arts and equal rights for women.
Cllr Jen Powell said, “We are delighted that the G Live studio space is being renamed ‘The Bellerby Studio’ as it is a fitting tribute to Bill and Doreen and the invaluable work and support they have given Guildford over the years.“
G Live’s Studio is used by a wide cross-section of the local community. Many attend the regular dance and exercise classes, parent and toddler sessions, as well as G Live’s Creative Learning activities of courses and workshops for young people and children. The Studio also hosts arts and comedy performances and the venue’s popular monthly Comedy Curry nights. G Live’s Director, Alvin Hargreaves, welcomed the decision to name the Studio after the Bellerby’s.
“It’s a rare privilege to be able to assist in recognising such outstanding contributions to Guildford life, culture and the arts; such is the tremendous value of Bill and Doreen’s local work over the years. Guildford is a richer more colourful place for it and G Live is delighted to be able to rename the Studio as a gesture in recognition of two wonderful local people.”
This spring the Bellerby Studio will present a range of performances that complement G Live’s Main Hall programme, including the incredibly popular Comedy Club 4 Kids, the English Touring Opera’s new opera for children, Borka, and a brand-new, week long Comedy Festival which will feature alternative, and up-and-coming comedians such as Robin Ince and Lucy Porter.
