Imperial College Union Concert Hall to undergo £220,000 refurbishment.

Photo: ICU Musical Theatre Society

Imperial College Union's Concert Hall is one of the recipients of £300,000 of grants to support student societies this year.

The Harlington Grants Fund this year increased the annual amount allocated by £250,000 in order to support two major projects of renovating the Union Concert Hall and improving the gym facilities of the Silwood Park Campus.

The Concert Hall, which is home to many of the Union’s creative societies and famously hosted early gigs of the rock band Queen, will be refurbished at a cost of up to £220,000.

The grant will allow the space to host more ambitious productions, helping enhance the standard of performing arts at Imperial.

Imperial College Union President David Goldsmith said: “The Union Concert Hall is a space used by student groups throughout the year and this refurbishment is going to make a real difference to so many students.

“The Harlington Grants Fund is an important source of funding for many of our student groups and seeing it being used on a larger project like this is really exciting.”

The Harlington Grants Fund typically awards around £50,000 each year to clubs, societies and projects designed to benefit students and improve the student experience here at the college.

This year the Fund’s Committee were authorised by the College Council to spend a further £250,000 on a number of larger projects nominated by student groups and societies.

An award of £30,000 was made to provide new state-of-the-art gym equipment to Impetus Gym at the College’s Silwood Park Campus. As well as these two larger projects funds have also been awarded to ICU Astronomical Society, CGCU Motor Club and the ICU Cinema amongst others for new equipment to support their activities.

Professor Debra Humphris, Vice Provost (Education) at Imperial, who chairs the Harlington Grants Fund Committee, said: “It’s fantastic to be able to award this funding to two extremely worthwhile projects. I’m really proud that all the money we are able to give through the Harlington Grants Fund goes straight to student groups to improve the student experience here at Imperial.

“The Union Concert Hall in particular is a really important facility on campus and I can’t wait to visit and see how students are using the refurbished space!”

Applications to the Harlington Grants Fund are accepted all year round and reviewed by the committee on a monthly basis.

For more information on the grants and how to apply for one see://www3.imperial.ac.uk/secretariat/aboutus/harlington