Hutton Hall: a future community centre or a thing of the past?

A wee bit of background
Hutton Hall was once a thriving centre of Bankend and Caerlaverock. Those who have lived here longer than just the past decade or so will tell tales of it as the beating heart of the community; a full social calendar, parties and dancing into the night, Christmas celebrations – all centred around the Hutton Hall Community Centre.
However, times are changing. Over the past ten to fifteen years we’ve seen the increasing use of home entertainment, internet access, and a change in the way that we all socialise.
This was followed by a global pandemic and a cost of living crisis. This means that the hall is no longer used – perhaps not needed – in the way that it used to be. We get that. But it has reached a financial crisis point.

Why the crisis?
The hall doesn’t belong to Bankend, nor the local estate; it is owned by the council. When the council started selling off community halls over recent decades, there was the option for local groups to take on the running of them as custodians. The Hutton Hall Committee was formed for exactly that reason – the group that took on the running of the hall didn’t want to see it sold on by the council.
To keep the hall open and running (insurance, electricity, water, oil) there is a level of cost which is no longer covered by its current usage. The events that the committee work hard to put on (Christmas/Easter fairs, etc.) are essentially fundraisers, and usually see us through the year and cover the costs of events such as the Christmas meal. However, the theft of two batches of oil this year has drained our funds so that, even with the regular users such as the bowls groups and the Ladies’ Club, along with the people that hire it privately for parties, we will only have enough income to keep us open until March – and no funds for seasonal events.

Why should you care?
It’s a good question; many people aren’t that bothered about socialising outside of their chosen friend and family group and don’t see the value in having a space for the community to gather – and that’s absolutely your choice. If we can’t find a way to make the hall work then we will hand it back to the council. We can’t know for certain what they will choose to do with it, however, we do know that when the committee took it on over a decade ago and agreed to its upkeep and continued usage, the council’s plan at that time was to sell it for development.

What can you do?
The first thing you can do is to have an opinion (we’re pretty sure there will be plenty!). We’re calling a meeting on 9 th December for people to come forward with their thoughts. If you have no interest in seeing the hall’s continued use and are happy for the council to do as they see fit, then you can vote by your absence. If you would like to see the hall continue and thrive then we need you to turn up and discuss how we can make that happen – together. Everyone is welcome, whether you live in Caerlaverock and would like to see the hall remain in the hands of the community, or if you are outwith the local area but come to our events or use the hall, then we will be very happy to see you.

Date: 9 th December 2023
Time: 2:00pm
Venue: Hutton Hall Community Centre
With best wishes and thanks,

Hutton Hall Committee:
Kelly Green
Joan Burrows
Karen Grieve
Emily Robertson
Claire Clarke