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Two classical concerts which were nearly cancelled because of poor tickets sales have been saved by an anonymous benefactor who donated £5,000 to the Friends of St. James.
The two nights were highlighted last week when the organisers said they might be cancelled if more people didn't support the venue and some of its events.
Jon Bisson took on running the concert and assembly hall last year and since then he has introduced a number of new events which have proven popular including comedy nights and alternative music nights including hip hop and drum and bass.
However, many people may still associate the former church building, near the island's court house, with classical music.
Two more traditional events planned for this month are the visits of 'renowned performers' the Maxwell Quartet and the Warwick Piano Trio. Mr Bisson said last week that both acts had previously performed to 'sell out audiences' at venues including Carnegie Hall and the Wigmore Hall - but by then, in Guernsey, they had only sold 58 and 63 tickets respectively.
The St James website says that; "as a guide only, the Hall can accommodate a maximum of 576 people in standard theatre-style or reception format, 217 for dinners and up to 200 for wedding receptions and dinner / dances."
Although he had threatened to cancel both events, because of the slow sales, Mr Bisson has now said that a 'generous' offer has been made to save them.
He said; "the generous donation was entirely unprompted and full of community spirit."
“We are very grateful for the donation which came to us without prompt. It shows great community spirit and fully supports us in our ambition to be a community hub. Thanks to this contribution the shows can go on and our classical audiences won’t be disappointed.”
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