THE KEYS to Alcester’s Greig Hall have finally been handed to the town council – a moment long-awaited by the community.
A deal has been struck between Alcester Town Council (ATC) and Stratford District Council for a 125-year lease of the memorial hall which has stood empty for more than a decade.
The Hannah Susan Greig Memorial Hall was finally handed over to the district council last year, along with the Greig Leisure Centre, following a long-running dispute with the Greig Trust. The legal battle over who would run the centre, which closed after proving ‘financially unviable’, concluded last year.
The hall was built in the 1950s and boasts a large sprung dance floor. It can cater for performances for around 200 people, and in the past has hosted numerous family celebrations, musical shows, and community events.
ATC town clerk Vanessa Lowe believes the deal will provide a real boost to the town.
She said: “The Greig Hall has a special place in many people’s hearts as it has hosted many memorable family occasions – including wedding receptions – so for it to be opening its doors once more is fantastic news for the town and its residents.
“Over the next year or so we will be carrying out essential works to the Hall and setting up a charitable incorporated organisation to run the hall on a day-to-day basis, before potentially opening the doors to the general public in around a year’s time.
“The town is really excited to see The Greig Hall fulfilling its potential and it is an asset that will bring the community together.
“We already have a team of around 90 volunteers ready to support over the coming months, whether that is cleaning and decorating the facility, or providing social media support and setting up a website.”
She added The Friends of Greig Hall had also raised £75,000 from a charity shop in the town to support the hall, which would ‘play an integral role’ in helping to restore the hall to its ‘former glory’.
