Tickets for the “Last Night of the Proms” will be available from the Palace Theatre Box Office.


In the early days of the Twinning Association's existence it was clear that a major fund raising event would need to be arranged, ideally one which could be run on an annual basis. As the Association had developed from the Town Council (link to history page) a couple of former Town Councillors, Len Wilkes and Tom Bickley, together with the then Town Clerk, Mike Wilson, approached the Ransome Band to investigate the possibility of a joint event. The end result of their discussions was the "Last Night of the Proms". The inaugural event was held in the Sconce Hills School Hall in 1984 and so was born one of the most popular concerts in Newark’s musical calendar.
 
It wasn’t long before the success of the "Last Night of the Proms" meant that the school hall was no longer a suitable venue. The only real choice for a larger venue was the Palace Theatre and the concert has been held there ever since.
 
Experiments have been undertaken with the format. To satisfy demand for tickets a second night was added but after several years the Friday evening was dropped in favour of a Saturday matinee. Unfortunately, this was not a successful move and the 2008 event reverted to two nights.
 
The Ransome Band, who have changed their sponsors and, therefore, name several times over the period of our partnership have always played a big part in each years concert. However, there has always been variety in the rest of the programme – male voice choirs, solo singers, double acts, school choirs, the Newark Amateur Operatic Society and even a World Champion whistler have all featured over the years.
 
The profits from the "Last Night of the Proms" are shared between the Twinning Association and the band. Our portion helps to fund the various visits to and from our twin towns.
 
Over the years many people have been involved with organising the concerts and preparing for them. The Twinning Association is grateful to all those who have helped, to whatever degree, and, especially, to Val Picker who has decided to stand down from overall control after more than 10 years in the hot seat. The wheel has turned full circle as Len Wilkes has agreed to take over from Val.
 
We look forward to seeing you all for the:

"Last Night of the Proms" 2010
On 30th January 2010
At The Palace Theatre.

 


Tickets for the “Last Night of the Proms” will be available from the Palace Theatre Box Office.