ARTISTS took to the streets of Poole on Saturday to protest against the planned closure of the town's iconic Kube art gallery.

Whistles, maracas, and singing accompanied the 50-strong procession down the High Street from Old Orchard to the North Road gallery, which is due to close at the end of the month.

Organiser, Isaac Sigley, said artists were fighting on behalf of the entire community, and vowed that Poole would remain "open for business" as an artistic enterprise.

"We are realists. We understand that financially it is very difficult at the moment, but we want to keep some part of the Kube as a gallery and exhibition space," said Mr Sigley.

The future of the Richard Horden-designed art space, opened in 2000 with £1.8 million of lottery cash, has been threatened by the withdrawal of funding from cash-strapped Bournemouth and Poole College.

Kube manager, Sandy Wilderspin, joined the marchers, and said the protest demonstrated the value people placed on the gallery.

"We know that the Kube can no longer be funded in the way it has been before, but Poole needs a public art gallery.

"We need other ways of funding it. We are talking to the Arts Council and we hope they will be involved in any decisions about the gallery's future," said Ms Wilderspin.

Photographer, Scott Irvine, a volunteer at the gallery, and the founder of a 1000-strong Facebook group opposing the closure, said doing nothing "wasn't an option" if the gallery was to be saved.

But college principle, Lawrence Vincent, confirmed that the gallery would close.

He ruled out using it for offices. Students' end of year exhibitions would continue to take place "where possible," he added.

"Although some people are disappointed, the onus is on us to direct funding to teaching resources, which in this case means that we can no longer justify financially subsiding the Kube as a public gallery," said Mr Vincent.