Twickenham Studios Saved
Shortly after we sent our last email bulletin, we received a press release from Twickenham Studios. It was good news.
Property magnate and film fan Sunny Vorha has bought the studios following the tireless campaigning from the now COO, Maria Walker.
Sunny Vohra is one of the three directors of the Sarova Hotel group, who own a series of hotels in the England and a luxury resort and Game reserve on the coast of Kenya.
Maria Walker began the campaign to save the studios in April, after working there on and off as a freelancer over 20 years. The i-petition she began amassed almost 5000 signatures including leading actors, directors and producers from around the world and almost certainly, many members of thecallsheet.co.uk.
Impressed by her commitment and passion to the Save Twickenham campaign, plus her wealth of experience in Film, Vohra has appointed Walker to a newly created role of Chief Operating Officer. Former Assistant Studio Manager Kelly Howard-Garde has now become the Studio Manager.
The team plan to refurbish and improve the site, although details of which are not yet known.
The purchase by Vohra has thwarted Taylor Wimpey's redevelopment plans, which would almost certainly seen the studio business squeezed out in favour of housing.
With the sale of BBC TV Centre and the loss of some of their studio facilities in west London, Twickenham may find themselves looking at TV more than film in the short term. With its good transport links and proximity to central London, it could prove to be an attractive destination for live audience shows.
Twickenham Studios is now completely out of administration and accepting bookings for office space and stage hire. If you want to speak to Twickenham you can contact Maria Walker or Kelly Howard-Garde on 020 8607 8888 or email kelly@twickenhamstudios.com
We will continue to keep you updated with the latest developments at Twickenham and you can see their profile page on thecallsheet.co.uk right here.