Forres Town Hall now under community ownership
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FORRES Town Hall is now under the ownership of Forres Area Community Trust (FACT), the group's board has announced.
The news comes after the conclusion of a successful community asset transfer process, with FACT officially taking over ownership on February 26.
The trust has been managing the building since 2018.
Joanna Taylor, FACT chair, said: "This is tremendous news, and the culmination of a process which began back in 2018.
"We are now moving forward with a major fundraising strategy to raise the £3.4 million estimated overall cost of a regeneration project to bring the community’s vision for the future of Forres Town Hall to life.
"We hope this will act as a catalyst for positive change in Forres and the surrounding area’’.
The vision that Ms Taylor refers to will see Forres Town Hall transformed, with the entire building being refurbished to create an event venue, community building and co-working space.
The main hall will be transformed into a modern, multi-purpose performance area, the lesser hall will be restored to become a beautiful event space once more, and there will be improved accessibility to all areas – including the upper floors.
The project will regenerate, refurbish, and insulate the building, and it is hoped that its flexibility of use and attractiveness as an event and activities centre will provide a springboard for a wider regeneration process within the town of Forres.
It is hoped that the potential of the building can be maximised while reducing its environmental impact and running costs.
Debbie Herron, development manager Forres Area Community Trust, said: "We are very excited to receive confirmation that Forres Town Hall, an iconic building at the heart of our community, is now in community ownership.
"The proposed regeneration project is a potent combination of architectural importance, cultural significance and community benefit and we are looking forward to moving to the next steps for this project.
"We would like to take this opportunity to thank our funders at the Scottish Land Fund, National Lottery Community Fund, and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, and the community support unit and the community asset transfer team at Moray Council who have helped us reach this exciting milestone in the history of Forres Town Hall.’’
If you want to know more about the project more information is available on FACT’s website at https://forresarea.org/forres-town-hall.
FACT are particularly keen to hear from anyone who would like to share any memories or photographs from past times spent at Forres Town Hall. Please either email info@forresarea.org or call 01309 674388.
