'Do or die' moment for Bishop's Castle community hall
People are being sought to breathe new life into a community hall in a county town as the committee that has run it for decades steps down.
It is a "do or die" moment for the Public Hall in Bishop's Castle, town mayor Karen Bavastock said, and Bishop's Castle Town Council has put out a call for a new committee to come together.
The hall, opened by Princess Anne in the 1980s, currently holds furniture sales on Saturdays, blood donors events and occasional private bookings and parties, but much more could be made of it, Councillor Bavastock said.
The hall in Station Street is not to be confused with Bishop's Castle Town Hall at the top of High Street, which has seen a surge in use for exhibitions, shows and talks, meetings, markets and workshops since its refurbishment was completed last year.
A meeting on the future of the Public Hall will be held on Tuesday, with hopes those interested in getting involved will form a new management committee on the day.
Councillor Bavastock said it would be a make-or-break meeting after the long-standing members that ran the hall officially stepped down in August.
She said: "A lot of them had done over 30 years on the committee and had been thinking of resigning for a number of years but there was never anyone to help move it forward.
"They were a strong committee and I think it was felt if one stepped down they all would, so when they said they wanted to resign earlier this year we decided to step in and see if we could facilitate that. It's do or die really.
"We have had some people say they are interested but its the more the better – we need a strong team."
She said those who had already shown an interest would be contacted via email before the meeting and the town council was also looking for nominations for the roles available.
Councillor Bavastock said: "We have a core of people who are keen to become part of the management committee and as a town council we will obviously be supporting the new committee and ensure that everything is done to have a smooth handover."
The meeting will be held at 7pm in the council chamber at the town hall. For more call town clerk Mary Seldon on 01588 638141 or Councillor Bavastock on 07967 100903.
