Abba tribute for first event inside old town hall

People will be allowed back into a town hall for the first time in more than five years when it reopens with a public event on Saturday.

Hanley Town Hall in Stoke-on-Trent will host an Abba tribute night, as work gets under way to transform the building into a hotel and wedding venue.

"The idea over the next 12 months is to have small events, people coming in and out of the building, and getting a taste of what the building can be used for, and using that as feedback as well," said new owner Simon Edwards.

He said he was keen for people to see the building was being brought back into use.

"We want to create a wedding venue again, we believe that's really important, and when we've done our own homework we believe that's one of the biggest things that people missed," he said.

Fewer than 100 tickets were being sold for the Abba event, Edwards said, as access to some parts of the building was restricted due to asbestos and building work.

A part of the town hall he also hopes to transform is its cellar which is expected to become a space for businesses.

He said there could often be negativity about the city centre, but that he wanted his venture to help Hanley become a place people wanted to visit.

"The thing about Hanley is it's full of great people from Stoke-on-Trent," Edwards said.

"Stoke-on-Trent [people] are really friendly people and I agree they need stuff to go to and need stuff to do.

"The plans for the town hall - as well as other plans for the city centre - will start drawing people back in."

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