Our Mission

The Morecambe Alhambra Theatre CIC

Our mission is for the Alhambra to serve as a creative and cultural cornerstone for Morecambe and Heysham, where heritage meets regeneration, and community meets opportunity.

The theatre was built in 1901 on the Promenade of Morecambe and is one of the jewels of our seaside town here on the shores of Morecambe Bay.

As Alhambra Live, we are one of only a few live entertainment venues still functioning and also one of the few heritage buildings left in the Morecambe/Heysham area that have not been removed from public access or demolished.

We took over the empty building in 2016 to preserve the building and to restore the prupose it was designed for: to present live entertainment and to be a space for community events.

We are at the heart of the West End, open to all, and an important part of what we do is helping to revive the lost festivals of Morecambe – mods, ska, punks, goths, northern soul.

We host events for the community benefit because we are committed to the Alhambra as a vibrant community asset for Morecambe and Heysham. We are also proud to attract large numbers of visitors, especially for the festivals, whose spending boosts the local economy.

The Alhambra is a huge theatre building that takes up an entire block and it’s a major symbol of Morecambe’s rich cultural heritage. Our directors take no pay for their work, and we don’t receive cultural funding or council support, so maintaining the theatre takes up a huge part of our resources.

Our mission, as Alhambra Live and in partnership with owner Ian Bond, is to lead the revival of the Alhambra as a dynamic, inclusive venue that contributes meaningfully to the economic, social and cultural regeneration of Morecambe and Heysham, with a particular focus on the West End. We do this by restoring and reimagining this historic building as a working theatre, creative hub, and public space that reflects the town’s identity and ambition.

We are committed to:

  • Regenerating the Alhambra building through sustainable investment, local partnerships and sensitive restoration, maintaining its character while adapting it for 21st-century cultural use.

  • Driving economic renewal by increasing footfall and cultural tourism, creating jobs and skills opportunities, and supporting local businesses – helping to ensure that creative investment in Morecambe has tangible benefits for residents and the wider Bay Area.

  • Building new audiences and increasing participation, always inclusive and particularly among people and communities who are underrepresented in arts and culture, through accessible programming, outreach and co-creation.

  • Supporting the local and regional creative community by providing affordable, flexible space opportunities for showcasing and collaboration, especially artists and companies rooted in the North.

  • Fostering a sense of pride and belonging, with programming that reflects Morecambe and Heysham’s unique history, humour and resilience, while looking outward to national and international cultural conversations.

As custodians of a much-loved building with a rich and unique legacy, we believe the Alhambra will play a vital role in Morecambe’s future, as a catalyst not just for entertainment, but for connection, transformation and community pride.

Events