ELY S art gallery proved its popularity at the weekend as more than 400 guests flocked to its Valentine s Day re-opening. Mayor Sheila Friend-Smith joined ADeC president Dan Schumann to cut the ribbon on the door of the Babylon Gallery, which has been cl

ELY'S art gallery proved its popularity at the weekend as more than 400 guests flocked to its Valentine's Day re-opening.

Mayor Sheila Friend-Smith joined ADeC president Dan Schumann to cut the ribbon on the door of the Babylon Gallery, which has been closed for almost a year following extensive funding cuts by East Cambridgeshire District Council.

Fund-raising and a new lease agreement on the building look set to guarantee the short term future of the gallery, Ely's only free public art space.

"It was a very happy occasion," said Mayor Friend-Smith, "and amazing to have so many people there. I was just one of many people, I suspect, who were delighted to see the gallery reopening, and with such a wonderful exhibition."

Caroline Cawley, Marketing Manager at ADeC said: "We had a very successful re-launch with over 400 visitors enjoying our new photographic exhibition Richard Heeps : A View of the Fens from a Car With Wings.