FRIENDS OF RAMSBOTTOM CIVIC HALL PUBLIC MEETING ~ 18th January 2024
These notes follow the meeting, which was held at the Civic Hall, and are not a
comprehensive record of events, but can help to inform a further meeting of participants.
Attendance: 35, Apologies: 6
Eddie Jones, Chair of the Friends (FORCH), welcomed everybody and introduced the group, describing briefly its help and support for the Hall. He then invited the meeting to put forward ideas and questions in order to create a discussion about the venue’s future.
Ramsbottom Ward Councillor, Tom Pilkington, Chair of Ramsbottom Events Group (REG)
stated that the immediate future (2024-5) of the Hall is safe and he is working with community groups and for it to play a part in the provision of leisure and also benefit businesses in Ramsbottom. There are no plans to close the Hall.
POINTS RAISED DURING THE DISCUSSION
Staffing
Concerns were raised about staffing levels (usually one Hall Manager whose work includes:
arranging bookings with Hall users, setting up the Hall’s spaces for users’ individual activities*, helping to promote the venue, reporting maintenance issues, cleaning the interior of the building etc.) Other council staff do provide support when required.
*At present, some hall users assist.
If there are more events, how will the Hall Manager cope?
A volunteer group is needed to help with events – a list could be compiled.
Input from Present Hall Users
There is a demand from people who want to use the venue for event bookings.
The Civic Hall could do more than events but needs help.
Hall hire fees alone, as at present, will not sustain the Civic Hall.
(Previously there was income from eg bar takings. The provision of the bar is now contracted out to known and approved licensees. Catering, with the demise of the Council’s Bury Venues, is no longer provided by the Council but outside catering is welcomed.)
Utilise the Holcombe Room for smaller scale private functions, with the possibility of carrying out work to enable the Holcombe Room to be eg heated separately to avoid heating the whole building for every Holcombe Room booking.
Potential Future Events and Activities
Members of the public contributed to the discussion about a wide variety of their own activities for which they are interested in making use of Civic Hall spaces. New ideas included events around themes such as Harry Potter, chocolate and various cultural events and activities eg festivals, scratch choirs, orchestras, an annual business fair
RAMSBOTTOM EVENTS GROUP need the Hall as a venue along with Nuttall Park and its members are organising events in both.
RAMSBOTTOM CIVIC PRIDE (RCP)– has ties with REG and wants to get more events in theHall, working with Bury Council.
Marketing
Concerns were raised that the Hall’s events needed better marketing because, not having seen the publicity, people were missing events. In connection with the problem, it was mentioned after the meeting that there are now several different Ramsbottom websites, run by various local groups. A central Ramsbottom site set up, run professionally and properly funded with links to all the separate groups was suggested. This possibility will be looked into.
The Hall as a Potential Resource for Providing Community Support
Families are struggling with mental health and social issues, partly due to the pandemic.
Local children, who cannot access ordinary schools, are being sent off to other authorities.
(eg Calderdale (Hebden Bridge Learning Community, which opened in September 2016 as an educational community for 7-14 year olds. It “combines the most valuable parts of school—
friendship, engaging live classes and mentors, on a part time basis”.)
Is there an appetite for a centre at the Hall for perhaps 3 days a week, daytime?
Funding
Helen Tomlinson (Chief Officer, Bury VCFA) advised that there are many opportunities for obtaining funding to support events and activities. Locally a dementia group has funding with other examples including “Let’s Do It” community grants, which are available to organised groups. There are also funders for eg cultural activities.
A more regular income could be provided via a large-scale annual event raising money to support the Hall eg a town festival. In some towns, where a community management group is in place, there are examples of this working well, with the funds raised being sufficient to meet the venue’s expenses.
Community Involvement in Hall Governance
David Catterall, Bury Council’s Head of Commercial Services, advised that the Council would work with a new community management group to set up, with others, the governance to account for matters such as public liability and insurance. Bury VCFA also provides information and guidance on the steps that must be taken and how a community group would operate.
Suggestions for Further Progress with Community Support for Ramsbottom Civic Hall
People were asked to leave names and contact details and indicate whether they were keen to help to make progress.
A “Google Form” could be used by volunteers who could write down their skills and areas of expertise so that others are aware.
A Civic Hall event to promote what is taking place.
ABOUT FORCH
For the 2010 major refurbishment of the Hall’s interior, FORCH worked closely with Bury Council and Hall users to obtain a large grant. Another major project, which was initiated in 2011, by FORCH was the development by group members, Hall users and Bury Council of the Hall’s garden and courtyard. This outdoor space became a very popular extra facility.
Unfortunately, FORCH members are no longer able to maintain the garden.
(OUR WEBSITE, www.forch.uk, has more information about our group and more Friends’ projects that have helped to support the Hall over the years.)
FORCH is fully-constituted and registered with Company’s House as a Company Limited by Guarantee. The group was formed in August 2007 at a public general meeting as the community’s response to a threat of Hall closure.
Now, for FORCH to become more deeply involved than ever before eg in the
governance of the Hall, the group needs new members, including committee
members. Also, its agreement with Bury Council would need upgrading. (See
paragraph above: “Community Involvement in Hall Governance”.)