Restructure for Staindrop hall due to increase in villager demand

A MAJOR revamp and a boost in use has forced a village hall to change its structure.
Scarth Memorial Hall, in Staindrop, was reopened last year after a £500,000 refurbishment which has resulted in a surge in use by community groups.
In a bid to ensure the continued smooth running of the hall, the Scarth Hall Association is now ringing the changes.
Announcing the changes to Staindrop Parish Council, Cllr Ed Chicken said the association was changing its status.
He added: “Following the work on the hall we undertook a review of the organisation to make sure that was fit for purpose. There are several recommendations coming out of that one of which is the incorporation. This reduces the liability of the trustees.
“[We are] making sure our governance is up to speed, in particular given that the income and expenditure is greater, to make sure that the financial controls are adequate.”
Cllr Chicken said groups that use the hall were being sent induction letters on how best to “avail themselves of the hall’s facilities”.
He added: “There have been a few little hiccups where people have been in different rooms and thought they had the use of the entire hall, but it can’t be like that because we rely on the hall being quite busy in order to generate the income and to pay all the over heads. With that in mind it requires people to come at the allotted time and go at the allotted time and use the space they are in with consideration to others.
“It is going remarkably well but we need to keep on top of it and get the reorganisation a little bit better than it is currently in order to manage it.
“All things being equal by the end of the year the organisation will be as match fit as it needs to be, to cope with the increased demand on the hall.”