For information concerning the Audit Hall, includinging its facilities and booking details, click here.
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Audit Hall at Risk
The Empingham Village Hall, also known as Audit Hall, is approaching a crisis. Revenues are not sufficient to pay the running costs of the hall. Given the shabby state of the hall, it is not surprising that we cannot attract sufficient paying users. Renovating the hall, to make it an attractive and profitable venue, will cost many thousands of pounds, money that the Village Hall Trust does not have.
The Empingham Village Hall Trust was formed in 1939, when the Ancaster estate deeded over the hall “for the purpose of physical and mental training and recreation and social, moral and intellectual development ... for the benefit of the inhabitants and residents of the Parish of Empingham”.
The hall, which was said at that time to be in poor condition, was given to support that purpose, but no money or investments came with it! Since then, the Trust, which is managed by unpaid volunteers, has had to rely on benefactors, local appeals, and grant aid, to maintain the hall.
There is now a very real prospect that the Trust will have to be wound up and the hall sold off. We desperately want to avoid that. The Rural Communities Council is going to be helping us over the next few months to work out how we might make the Trust relevant to the needs of the community today, and turn the hall into a viable venue once again.
But do you want to keep the hall?
And are you prepared to pay to keep it?
It costs thousands of pounds each year just to keep the present hall open. A possible solution would be to raise the funds via the parish council’s yearly precept. If the parish council were to collect an additional £1.50 per month for each dwelling, the proceeds would be sufficient to meet our recurring expenses and maintenance costs, and perhaps to service a small loan.
Those who have used the hall will know the kitchen and toilets need replacing. The heating needs further work, and other structural problems need attention. The Trust will still have to seek capital funding elsewhere, but experience has shown that donors will be more willing to contribute if such a project has the committed support of the community.
As we work our way through the process, The Trust will keep you informed of progress and, in due course, will consult with the community directly by way of a detailed survey. Meanwhile you could think about what you would like your village hall to be.
You can contact the Trust by email
From the Project Steering Group,
on behalf of the Managing Committee,
Empingham Village Hall Trust.
