GSE with Sharon
Town Hall News
Coffee Mornings are back!
FACT – Pop Up Coffee Morning – Saturday 18 September – 10am to 12 noon – Forres Town Hall
As part of our new programme of events FACT will be holding a Pop Up Coffee Morning on Saturday 18 September, from 10am until 12 noon in the Forres Town Hall. Everyone is welcome to come along. This is one of a series of Coffee Mornings being held each Saturday in the Town Hall.
Here is a current list of dates and who the Coffee Morning is in aid of:
Saturday 18 September – in aid of Forres Town Hall
Saturday 25 September – in aid of Lossie Entertainment Academy
Saturday 2 October – Pop Up, to be confirmed.
Saturday 9 October – in aid of Moray Hydrotherapy Pool
Saturday 16 October – in aid of Forres St Lawrence Cricket Club
Saturday 23 October – in aid of Forres OAP Association
Saturday 30 October – in aid of Logie Primary School Parent Council
Survey for Forres Area Community Trust
In March 2021 Forres Town Hall changed owners – thanks to a successful community asset transfer – and is now owned by the community. As many of you will know there are plans for a significant regeneration project for the building.
As part of this process, and in light of the Covid-19 pandemic which has meant huge changes for so many of us, we have to know more about what the community now needs from the Town Hall. The regeneration proposal transforms the Town Hall into multipurpose flexible spaces for a wide range of activities and services.
We’re keen to know in what ways the community would like to see these spaces used and what the likely demand will be. That’s why we’re sending out this short survey.
You can either complete it online on SurveyMonkey, download a digital version or pick up a printed version from the Town Hall Office or the Grant Park Event on 21st of August 2021.
Please return completed paper surveys to the Town Hall Office.
The survey is open for 4 weeks and closes on 9 September 2021.
Thanks for taking part!
Find Out the FACTs
An activity day where people can try their hand at drumming, listen to children’s storytelling sessions and enjoy a spot of Highland dancing and piping is taking place this month.
Forres Area Community Trust is staging a ‘Find Out the FACTs’ event in Grant Park on 21st of August.
The event is to showcase what the Trust does and how the Forres Town Hall is used.
Kirsty Williams, who is the Old Persons’ Project Co-ordinator with FACT and who is organising the day explained: “We are really looking forward to Find Out the FACTs which is really an opportunity for people to come along, have some fun and find out more about what we do.
“FACT works with so many different partners and we have a very busy schedule with loads of activities that support many different groups in the community. All we want to do at our Grant Park event is spread awareness of what’s available to do in the area, not just by ourselves but those organisations and groups we work in partnership with to make the area a better place to live, work and visit.”
“Through the pandemic, FACT really came to the fore and we worked with a range of partners to support those who were vulnerable or struggling during the lockdowns, but now things are getting better and restrictions are easing, we are working on promoting our classes and workshops and just want to showcase what we and our partners have to offer the people of the area.”
In March, it was announced that FACT had taken ownership of Forres Town Hall after a successful community asset transfer process. The Trust had been managing the building since 2018.
It is now pushing forward with a fundraising strategy to raise the £3.4 million for a regeneration project to redevelop the building as a thriving venue and facility fit for the 21st century and to provide services and resources for the area into the future.
Kirsty said: “FACT is delighted to be the custodian of the Town Hall on behalf of the community, and our event will also allow us to talk to the public about the hall and what the plans are for its future. We can also share with attendees about all the great activities that take place in the hall.”
Find Out the FACTs will take place between midday and 4pm on 21st of August.
FACT secured funding from the Scottish Government, via Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), from the Communities Recovery Fund.
Kirsty said: “HIE is co-ordinating the Communities Recovery Fund in the Highlands and Islands, on behalf of the Scottish Government, for all eligible community organisations, who are implementing changes to reintroduce the delivery of existing services and activities that have been suspended or severely reduced because of COVID-19 and/or deliver new services identified as a priority by the community as a result of COVID-19.”
“We are delighted that our event is able to go ahead after securing this funding. There will something for everyone. We have some great entertainment lined up and there is something for all age groups. We have drumming with Active Minds Moray, Forres Online will be there to explain how they can help people improve their digital knowledge, we will have storytelling from Margot Henderson, Scottish country dancers and pipers from the Forres and District Pipe Band.
“We invite people to come along and bring a picnic and spend the afternoon with us. It’s a real community event. Wave Radio are supporting us by handling the announcing and the organisers of the Forres Highland Games which have been hit hard by the pandemic are lending us tables and chairs.
“If a picnic is not your thing, we will be situated near Mather’s so there will be an opportunity to grab something from there as well, and for kids to not only enjoy what we have on offer but have fun at the playpark and in Grant Park too.”
Next steps for Forres Town Hall
As FACT conclude the final stages of a Community Asset Transfer for Forres Town Hall, with support from the Scottish Land Fund, steps are now underway for a major Refurbishment Project for the Town Hall.
This project aims to bring the building up to current standards in terms of accessibility, building services and fabric insulation, and to repair and refurbish the building in order that the nearly 200 year old Forres Town Hall can continue to thrive in the 21st century.
Since 2017, following extensive community consultation, FACT has been able to develop a clear vision for Forres Town Hall, which will see its functionality transformed. The stated aims of that vision are:
- The wish to transform the Main Hall into a modern multi-purpose accessible performance space
- A need to ensure universal accessibility to upper floor accommodation at both the front and the rear of the building
- A need to maximise opportunities to create additional flexible floor space for use by the community and social enterprises
- The wish to restore the Lesser Hall to become a beautiful event space once more that celebrates the heritage of the building
- The wish to make the entrance foyer more welcoming and practical
To achieve the above future vision for Forres Town Hall, funding from the Scottish Land Fund, which also supported the Community Asset Transfer, has enabled applications for planning permission and listed building consent to be submitted to Moray Council’s Planning Department for a transformative project to refurbish, insulate and improve the building.
Links to the planning application and listed building consent applications can be found on Moray Council’s Planning Online portal under Ref.No. 20/00888/APP and Ref. No. 20/00889/LBC. The Design and Heritage Statement, one of the supporting documents submitted as part of the planning and listed building consent applications, provides a full summary of the design proposals.
The design proposals submitted for planning permission and listed building consent, sub-divides the Town Hall into three parts – a front section with foyer, toilets and a restored Lesser Town Hall, a central section with a large multi-purpose performance space and a rear section with three levels of flexible workspace, and meeting rooms. It does this by proposing:
- To remove the art deco alterations from the Main Hall – revealing the original roof structure – and to install retractable seating in its place, to allow the Hall to be used for more flexible uses
- Through removing the gallery in the Main Hall, to re-purpose the first-floor corridors (and the stairs that lead to them) that service the gallery as flexible work/ meeting space and storage
- To create new multi-purpose rooms and support space over three floors in the place of the current stage, including a new room below the roof structure overlooking the Main Hall
- To insert a new second floor mezzanine in the first-floor room on the front elevation
- To provide new platform lifts at the front and rear of the building, to provide almost universal access throughout
- To introduce natural light to the Main Hall via new rooflights
- To provide modern fit for purpose sanitary facilities including accessible toilets and an accessible shower
- To greatly improve the functionality and size of the existing kitchen
- To establish dedicated plant space at the rear of the Main Hall to allow the future installation of efficient energy systems
- To restore the Lesser Hall to its former grandeur through careful restoration and redecoration
- To improve external accessibility to the building by adjusting external levels and improving surfacing in the pend
- To carry out essential and desirable fabric repairs
The Long section drawing shown below gives an idea of some of the above changes.
Community Asset Transfer and lockdown
When Moray Council took the decision to close Forres Town Hall completely in 2017, Forres Area Community Trust (FACT) stepped in to lease and manage the building on behalf of the community. This has been very successful as FACT have worked with user groups to increase occupancy and use of the building which doubled in the first 12 months of taking on the building.
Until lockdown earlier this year a wide range of user groups including Forres & District Pipe Band, the Varis Players, Film Forres and the Forres branch of the Royal Scottish County Dance Society have been able to continue using this space.
FACT has also been able to offer various activities in the Town Hall such as the popular Forres Online drop in sessions, and Older Persons Project activities such as gentle seated exercise and welcomed new groups to use the building including Turning Point Church, Zumba and Pound exercise classes, Guide Dog Training and community meals with Moray Food Plus.
During lockdown it has been possible for Forres Town Hall to serve as a hub for the Forres & Kinloss community food project which has allocated over 1,000 meals since May of this year. It has also been open at limited times for donations to be made to the Scrubs project, food donations, masks, and blankets for the Cameron Project in a Covid-safe way. It has even been possible during lockdown to have the help of volunteers to refresh some of the current décor in the North Room on a socially distanced basis.
Following the successful lease period, FACT is now in the final stages of concluding a Community Asset Transfer for Forres Town Hall, with support from the Scottish Land Fund. The final sale has not yet gone through as it has been delayed by the pandemic, however this is expected to complete before the end of the year. The building will then be owned by the Forres Area Community Trust on behalf of the community.
Community group celebrates first anniversary running Moray town hall by submitting bid to own it
by David MacKay, Press & Journal
A community group has submitted a bid to take over a cherished Moray landmark and bring it back to life.
Today is the first anniversary of Forres Area Community Trust (Fact) signing a lease to prevent the local town hall closing.
Now the charity is aiming to take over the ownership of the Victorian building, which has been a gathering point for generations, as well.
Today new art gallery will be opened in the hall during a party to celebrate the landmark, which dates back to the 1850s.
Annual Hogmanay bashes have been revived at the hall for the first time since the 1960s and the town centre venue is also now fully booked for Saturday coffee mornings until the end of next year.
Debbie Herron, Fact’s development manager, wants to preserve the building’s strong links with the community.
She said: “During the last year we’ve had a few people come in who have met their husbands and wives here – it used to be very popular with a lot of evening dances.
“The social history of the building is really important. We knew it was important to the community but I didn’t realise how much until this year.”
Forres Town Hall faced closure with similar venues last year due to budget cuts from Moray Council. Fact has applied to the authority for ownership of the hall to be transferred to them.
Meetings have been set up between Fact, other groups who have taken on their own community facilities and council staff so they can learn from what each other is doing.
The group has drawn up plans for a £1.9million refurbishment of the Forres hall to build on the success of film screenings in the venue with tiered seating and more gallery and office space.
Mrs Herron added: “The biggest challenge for us at the moment is the condition of the building.
“It’s nearly 200 years old now. The roof leaks in places, it’s safe but it’s just another thing that needs repaired.
“Ultimately we want to completely refurbish the entire hall over the next five years. It doesn’t make best use of space at the moment so there’s a lot of untapped potential.”
The celebration at Forres Town Hall today will run from 4pm to 6pm with regular users of the venue present to provide information about what they do.
Planning The (next) Big Lunch Forres
REPRESENTATIVES from a national charity stopped in Forres to discuss an event to be organised in the area for the third year running.
The Eden Project communities team were at the town hall to discuss The Big Lunch which took place over the last two summers at Transition Town Forres and Grant Park. The Eden Project want as many people as possible to get into the picnic spirit, grab a blanket, neighbours, friends, sandwiches and have a Big Lunch on June 1 and 2.
Richard Lochhead MSP attended the workshop and expressed support for the event.
He said: “It was great to hear how the initiative helps to bring people in communities together. There are many social benefits to people being more connected and it’s clear that The Big Lunch is making a difference to communities right across the country. The Scottish Government recently published its strategy for tackling loneliness and social isolation, and projects like The Big Lunch can play a vital part in that agenda.”
He added: “Forres has a fantastic community spirit, and I pay tribute to those who have organised big lunch events in the past – I hope that they’ll continue.”
Big Lunchers provided first-hand accounts of the power of the Big Lunch in bringing people together, offering suggestions arising from their experience throughout the workshop.
Kirsty Williams of Forres Area Community Trust, the creative force behind last June’s Big Lunch in Grant Park, helped organise the workshop.
She said: “It was an informative day and my colleague Vicky and I have already arranged a planning meeting for March 19, inviting different groups along so we can all work together to make The Big Lunch a success this year.”
Discussions led to possible future Big Lunches in the town hall, the Findhorn Foundation and Hopeman, to add to those planned for streets and gardens around Moray.
One participant, native to Forres but working in Gairloch promised to take the Big Lunch to the west coast after attending the workshop.
Over 40,000 people in Scotland took part in The Big Lunch last year.
Free starter packs, tips and ideas can be found at www.thebiglunch.com or by calling 0845 850 8181.
Hogmanay celebrations to return to beloved Moray venue for first time in half a century
by David Mackay, Press and Journal
Hogmanay celebrations will return to a treasured Moray town centre venue for the first time in half a century.
Findhorn Bay Arts is hosting the shindig at Forres Town Hall with a wealth of traditional music acts taking part.
The venue used to be the home of Hogmanay for the local community but has not hosted such a party since the 1960s.
Now revellers are being invited to dress up with “dazzle and sparkle” from the era of the last celebration held at the town hall in order to bring in 2019.
Kresanna Aigner, director of Findhorn Bay Arts, explained that the recent takeover of the venue by the Forres Area Community Trust from the council had inspired the decision to revive the events.
She said: “The hall is in the hands of the community now which has made it possible to open it again for Hogmanay.
“We had such a successful festival this year that it just felt like the right time to resurrect the parties at the town hall.
“We’ve got people from six to 86-years-old coming. It’s a real mix but we want to help bring people together.”
Tickets for the event are nearly sold out with proceeds being put towards supporting creative activities in the local area.
Crowds are also expected to gather at the foot of Dufftown’s clock tower to bring in the bells, while sharing drams and shortbread.
In Aberdeen, meanwhile, ABBA tribute band Thank You For The Music will be one of the top attractions.
They will be joined on stage on Schoolhill by local musicians Rachael Bisset and Scott Mellis and the Celtic rock band Gleadhraich, with the fun beginning at 9pm.
Marie Boulton, the city council’s culture spokeswoman, said: “There is always a great atmosphere in the city centre on Hogmanay.
“Our free street party is an excellent way to bring in the bells.”