A COMMUNITY hall group is looking for new trustees following major changes and a revamp worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Scarth Memorial Hall, in Staindrop, boasts some best community facilities Teesdale has to offer after it was reopened in October 2016 following a major refurbishment. This saw the introduction of state-of-the-art cinema facilities, a modern IT suite and a commercial grade kitchen, thanks to a £500,000 Lottery grant.
Now the board that manages the hall is undergoing changes too.
Secretary Mike Wylie said: “This is a landmark year for the hall as we are changing from an unincorporated charity to the charitable incorporated organisation (CIO). This change will enable us to act more effectively and professionally, working to a new governing document and with a new charity number.
“Scarth Hall is a busy vibrant community hub for Staindrop and the surrounding area and we’re looking for new trustees to join the team.”
He added that trustees are responsible for the direction and management of the charity, and take on much of the day-to-day running of the hall with the help of volunteers and part time staff.
The board meets once a month. The closing date for nominees is Monday, February 26, and an annual meeting will be held at the hall on Thursday, March 8, at 7pm.
Anyone interested in supporting the board can contact Mr Wylie on 01833 660802 or email wyliem@sky.com.
![A COUNTY councillor is backing a campaign to get a pedestrian crossing in Staindrop. Frustrated parish councillors in the village summoned their county council representative Cllr George Richardson to their latest meeting to discuss several issues, including the call for a safe way to cross the A688. Earlier this year their request for a crossing was turned down by the county council’s highways officers. Parish council chairman Jonothan Raper described the reasons for the refusal as “spurious” and called on Cllr Richardson to support their campaign. He added: “One of the arguments they made was there is no clear line of desire when they studied the village – well this isn’t a clear line of desire because there isn’t a crossing, people cross whenever they can. “When the lollipop person was there, one of the things I noticed was people would walk all the way down to the lollipop person to cross the road to go to the shop or to go to the school.” He added a problem of parking at the primary school is exacerbated because people are too afraid to walk their children across the road. Cllr Richardson said he had supported previous attempts for a crossing point with the first being made about 15 years ago. He added: “We went fairly well down the road with that and they looked into it. The only recommended place was where the bus stop is and to get the visibility splays, people on the other side of the road would lose their parking. “That didn’t go down well so it just died a death.” Cllr Raper said he suspected the real reason for the officers’ refusal was the cost of installing a crossing. He added that much of the cost could be recovered from savings made on not having to employ a lollipop patrol. Cllr Raper said: “A lollipop person only provides a benefit of crossing for three hours of the day. You are getting 21 extra hours of crossing time [with a pedestrian crossing].” Cllr Richardson said he would raise the issue with the county council’s cabinet member for highways, Cllr John Shuttleworth.](https://teesdalemercury.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/georgeR-120x86.jpg)
