Share initiative reaches more than £90,000

By timesecholife on in All News, Community News

A share scheme, aimed at a community purchasing a former chapel in the Moorlands, has been extended. The ‘Kingsley Holt Centre’ group is aiming to purchase the Methodist Chapel in Kingsley Holt, which the Staffordshire Moorlands Methodist Circuit had previously announced that it is putting the building up for sale.

A share scheme, aimed at a community purchasing a former chapel in the Moorlands, has been extended.

The ‘Kingsley Holt Centre’ group is aiming to purchase the Methodist Chapel in Kingsley Holt, which the Staffordshire Moorlands Methodist Circuit had previously announced that it is putting the building up for sale.

In 2021, the Kingsley Holt Centre group made a successful bid to Staffordshire Moorlands District Council for the building to be registered as an Asset of Community Value.

The Kingsley Holt Centre Project is now aiming to raise around £250,000 to purchase and refurbish the former chapel, to provide a welcoming space for groups, clubs, activities, events and hopefully a community shop and café.

They have set up a Community Benefit Society which will run The Kingsley Holt Centre for the benefit of the residents of Kingsley Holt and the surrounding area; and furthermore launched a share offer initiative as part of their bid to raise the cash to purchase the building.

A spokesman for the group said: “At a rally held in the village on Saturday (April 23) we announced that the fund had reached £94,160.

“The fund continues to grow, and we are confident that we will soon break through our minimum target of £100,000.

“Membership now stands at over 100 with a further 20 plus people choosing to donate and many more offering to volunteer.

“This demonstrates the level of support we have and just how much our community want to see this community building open and back in regular use.”

They continued: “This is a community building, its planning classification is and always has been “DI” a building for non-residential institutional and religious use and it is not part of the local development plan.

“We will do everything possible to ensure it stays that way.

“We have proved by obtaining Asset of Community Value listing with Staffordshire Moorlands District Council and publishing our Business Plans that it must and can remain a viable community asset.”

The spokesman added: “Support for our plans grow, we are receiving support from our parish council and two of our district councillors Elsie Fallows and James Aberley attended on Saturday to show support and present cheques to help boost our funds.

“We want our community building back open continuing to serve the community. No other option is acceptable.”

The Kingsley Holt Share offer has been extended and will now remain open until May 6.

To keep up to date in the project, go online to: www.kinsleyholtcentre.co.uk; email inf@kingsletholtcentre.co.uk; or call 07443 397522.

ADD A COMMENT