THE Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) has announced that it has suspended its bid to operate the Malvern Theatres.

In a statement released on Friday ATG stated: "Following the invitation to ATG two and a half years ago by Malvern Theatres Trust and Malvern Hills District Council (MHDC) to tender for the Theatres, ATG put together a management proposal, working in conjunction with the Trust and MHDC throughout the process.

"The decision to suspend the bid was taken following careful consideration by the group, ahead of the deadline for final information to be submitted to the consultant working on behalf of the local authority. Both MHDC and the Trust have been informed."

Howard Panter, ATG's managing director, said that the decision had been taken with regret, but the prolonged bidding process combined with a debt at the theatre, plus other more financially viable opportunities on offer for ATG meant that Malvern Theatres could no longer be considered a priority for the group.

He said: "We are an expanding group, and opportunities come up for us all the time, recently demonstrated by the fact that we secured the management contract and lease for the King's Theatre, Glasgow. We are currently considering other possibilities with other venues, and thus have decided to focus our efforts elsewhere."

"Malvern Theatres is a wonderful asset to the community and we wish the existing management team well for the future."

For reaction on the way forward see Friday's Malvern Gazette (August 16).