A MAMMOTH fund-raising effort has been launched by a newly-formed association to keep a building in the heart of Kendal in community use, reports Mike Addison.

The Castle Street Centre Association is looking to raise an initial sum of £175,000 to buy the former school declared "surplus to requirements" by present owners Cumbria County Council.

A meeting of the county council's cabinet in February gave the association a year from April 1 to raise the funds. In the meantime, the centre used as a base by the Westmorland Youth Orchestra, the Kendalians Marching Band, Tumble Tots and karate club will be managed by the association. It will handle all bookings as well as raising the funds needed to buy the building which has the largest independent recreation hall (20 x 10 metres) in the town within its walls.

The association has applied for charitable status and plans to raise the cash by applying for grants to the National Lottery and by organising concerts, holding raffles and table top sales.

"We are working on all sorts of fronts," said association secretary David Boxford. "It's quite a big endeavour for the committee.

"But once we have bought it then it's an asset that belongs to the town. Although it used to belong to the county council it did not belong to the people. It seems to be a big target to aim for but we are going to into it with great optimism.

"We have got to make it work or otherwise all the groups that use it will be homeless and the sorts of rates you have to pay to hire schools or other sorts of halls tend to be much higher. We are trying to get it really well used because that will help to keep the rates low."

The committee is made up of 20 members with representatives from each user group. Chairman is town councillor Gwyneth Raymond and Barbara Studholme, a leading light in setting up the Beck Community Centre, is an adviser.

The centre was built in the 1850s as a school (Castle Street Junior School) and was set up as a youth centre in 1982. The county council has tried to boost youth centre activities there over the past ten years. The building comprises of three ancillary rooms of different styles detached classroom, art room and a meeting room and the recreation hall.

"It's a very accessible building. There are very good transport links with bus and rail stations nearby and it is also situated close to the town centre. It also has the benefit of its own car park with parking places for at least 20 cars.

"There are some people who don't know that the centre exists. The first thing is to market it. We will be appealing for people in the north east of Kendal to come forward to help."

New groups are starting to use the centre, including Castle Street Seniors, a jazz group and a Sunday night sequence dancing club.

The county council's final figure for the purchase of the building is subject to revaluation at the time of sale in April, 2004.

April 17, 2003 12:00