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Keep the
Hall Open Campaign – A Success!!!!!
- Open letter by James Aitken:-
Chairperson
Gorgie War Memorial Hall management
committee
Dear Hall users and
supporters,
I am writing to tell you about the success
of our campaign to save the Gorgie War
Memorial Hall. After months of campaigning
since we were first informed of the proposal
for closure we are delighted that at
Edinburgh Council’s Education, Children and
Families Committee meeting last week they
voted to keep the Hall open.
Our campaign emphasised the
strength of public support for the Hall as
well as the strength of public feeling that
a war memorial should be protected. We also
emphasised the potential that resides in the
Hall as a community space. Consequently, as
well as voting to keep the Hall open the
Committee also encouraged us to do what we
can to make the war memorial a more
significant feature of the Hall; to develop
the potential of the Hall to appeal to more
people in the community; and to build up the
strength of our management committee.
We are happy to take on these challenges
because, having gathered substantial support
for our campaign from the community, we feel
that the people of Gorgie value the Hall and
would be happy to invest further in it.
Perhaps you feel that you have some ideas to
offer the management committee about how the
Hall could be run, or about how the Hall
could be developed? If you do then please
don’t hesitate to let us know on the phone
number provided on the menu bar or by giving
Dave or Wendy a message.
In order to realise our potential one of the
most important things we need to do is to
build up the strength of our management
committee. The current volunteers have done
a fantastic job, and I would like to take
this opportunity to pay tribute to their
hard work over the past months in
particular. However, we are always looking
for volunteers from our supporters and user
groups to serve on the management committee.
I would be delighted to welcome you if you
feel you have an hour or so to give each
month to help keep the Hall open, keep it
economical and to help make it a versatile
space for the local people to use. Now that
we have saved the Hall please consider
serving on the management committee to help
ensure that we are not faced with closure
again in the future.
I would like to take this opportunity to
thank everyone who has been involved in the
campaign to save the Hall. As a management
committee we were overcome by the enthusiasm
of everyone’s support. Hall users,
supporters and members of the community
wrote to the Council, signed the petition,
came to the public meeting, and offered us
words of support and kindness. Thank you.
I hope you will continue to enjoy the Gorgie
War Memorial Hall. As a community centre it
is an important community space and as a war
memorial it is an important community
marker.
Best wishes,
James Aitken
Chair, Gorgie War Memorial Hall management
committee
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