THE first year of Didcot’s multi-million pound arts centre has been hailed a “brilliant” success which has seen 50,000 people flock through the doors.

The £7.4m arts centre opened on August 29, last year, with a concert by the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain.

Now it is celebrating its first birthday with a performance on Saturday by the Pasadena Roof Orchestra.

Since its conception in 2000, a catalogue of delays pushed it years behind schedule and £1m over budget.

But by the end of its first year, more than 50,000 people had visited, 20,000 tickets were sold for shows and 1,000 people have taken part in workshops and classes.

Emma Dolman, who has steered the project to success as its artistic director since August 2007, said: “The arts centre took a long time to build and get right, but we never doubted that it was the right idea to have it in Didcot.

“There was a traditional view that the area was a cultural wasteland.

“But, in fact, there are lots of people in Didcot and the surrounding area who are really keen to see all sorts of arts, but were going further afield for it.

“What’s gone really well is that there’s been support from day one.

“People have flocked to it, and are really excited and pleased to have something like this in Didcot.”

Jasmine Bailey, 12, last year attended four dance and drama lessons a week, as well as week-long workshops during school holidays.

Now her lessons at the arts centre have led her to be accepted into the Redroofs Theatre School in Maidenhead.

Jasmine, who spent three nights each week and Saturday mornings studying jazz, ballet and modern dance, said: “To get into Redroofs I had to make up my own dance. But Cornerstone taught me everything I needed to know. In the audition, they were amazed at my dancing.

“You would not think Didcot would have a really great arts centre, but it’s just amazing.”

When tickets went on sale for both the summer and autumn programmes, people queued round the block to snap up seats.

In February, crowds of people descended on the Station Road venue to get tickets for an exclusive warm-up gig by hit comedian Michael Mcintyre, in preparation for his 2009 stadium tours.

On August 8, there was a repeat situation, when 150 people queued for over an hour to get tickets for a wide range of events from the new programme.

She said: “People were booking for lots of things across the whole season. They were booking 10 shows at a go, or buying £300 worth of tickets. They were really keen to try a whole range of things.”

She said her task was to continue developing the programme and establish the venue on the touring circuit. Among innovations in the autumn season are new classical music performances, including concerts for children, and panto Peter Pan before Christmas.

She added: “We want to expand the range of what we offer, including classical theatre, contemporary theatre and dance.”

didcot@oxfordmail.co.uk