It's 'hall' going well for Findochty as town hall re-opens in community ownership
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YEARS of effort finally bore fruit when Findochty Town Hall was formally reopened as a community-owned asset.
Last Friday evening was one of great pride for the dedicated team of volunteer trustees whose commitment and vision have transformed the once neglected and decaying council-run hall into a thriving hub.
The future of the hall was thrown into grave doubt in 2018 when, along with other Moray Council-owned halls, it was earmarked for closure as part of the local authority's cost saving measures. However, the community came together to first of all take over the running of the facility on a lease before submitting a Community Asset Transfer (CAT) application in February 2020. After more than two years negotiating the various legal hurdles the CAT deal was finalised on July 21.
To mark the occasion, a grand open evening was held at the hall last Friday, kicking off with a slideshow of old photos in the Seaview Room.
At 7pm, secretary of the trustees Pam Ross gave a short presentation on the timeline of the CAT before it was time to welcome guest of honour Andrew Simpson, the Lord Lieutenant of Banffshire, who went on to perform the honours and declare the hall formally open under community ownership.
He said: "All concerned with taking on of the Findochty Town Hall as a community asset are to be congratulated for their vision, hard work and commitment.
"The importance of local communities can never be underestimated. This facility will provide a wonderful resource for people to come together and for a wide range of activities.
"I wish the committee and all the users every success in the coming months and years.
Chairman of the trustees Graham Cryer hailed the dedication and commitment shown over the last four years to make the community ownership dream a reality.
"It's terrific to finally have got to the end of the road, we've been working for many years to get here," he continued.
"This has been a fantastic team effort and we're very lucky to have a fantastic team of trustees who support each other. We've a diverse team with a very diverse range of experience and skills.
"We've come a long way together, it's been a very interesting journey.
"The transfer is really good news for the community – the hall is looking stunning now. When it was in council ownership it was very rarely used but now it's very well used by the community, who have given us fantastic support over the last few years. When people see the facilities we have here in the hall, which has been redecorated, they're impressed.
"One of our biggest success stories has been the pop-up cafés which we run every Thursday from 2pm to 4pm. It helps promote social inclusion and we welcome people of ages who come together for a blether and a cuppa. The pop-up cafés have been a phenomenal success, they've been absolutely great.
"We're now looking to start live entertainment in the hall and also film nights, too."
In common with other community groups across the country the team of trustees had to weather the storm of Covid.
Mr Cryer added: "We just had to knuckle down and put things on hold, same as everybody else.
"As the restrictions gradually lifted people came back and I think we're even stronger than before."
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