Friends of Ryde Town Hall (FORTH), a resident-led volunteer advocacy organisation, are inviting Islanders to say how often and in what manner they would use Ryde Town Hall & Theatre if it were refurbished and open to the public.
The data gathered from FORTH’s Take 4 Town Hall Survey will inform future grant applications seeking the funding necessary to refurbish the Georgian building that has sat empty for nearly a decade.
Friends of Ryde Town Hall Chairman Zoë Barker:
“National grant funders have urged us to engage local people and our Take 4 Survey is one way we’re doing just that.”
In May Ryde Town Councillor Phil Jordan announced on Facebook that a Ryde Town Hall Trust had been established. It is widely believed that this not-for-profit property trust will seek private seed funding to purchase the building before applying for grant funding to refurbish it.
Friends of Ryde Town Hall are also hosting a series of meetings for local business, arts, cultural and charity leaders in an effort to disseminate information, establish best practices and identify collaborative opportunities that might prove vital to the Town Hall’s future development.
Barker added:
“FORTH feels strongly that if you get good people together and get them talking, good things will happen,
Article continues below this advertisement “The Town Hall is a community-defining building, so the community’s input is essential.”
The Take 4 Town Hall Survey is available online at https://survey.sogolytics.com/r/dg9JSN. It is also available in hard copy in Ryde Library or you can request a copy by emailing [email protected].
To become a Friend of Ryde Town Hall simply email [email protected] and ask to be added to the organisation’s Friends Database.
Turn it into a car park! It’s the only way to save Ryde town centre!
I’d like to see it used as the new LGTBQIA+ hub as this is so desperately needed on the island.
We don’t like those kinds here. White cis men only.
cis men – what kind of drivel is that – it is heterosexual men.
anyone that refers to heterosexuals as cis – is being offensive.
no it isn’t needed – well over 90% of the island are heterosexual – whatever it is used for, it must appeal to the majority or it will fail miserably
As temporary housing for many of the poor immigrants who arrive on our shores. The good people of Ryde would welcome them with open arms.
no we won’t – we don’t want economic spongers here thank you – they stopped, allegedly being in danger the moment they crossed the first border out of the country they left.
you are being had as mugs, with them simply turning up here, mugging you off, expecting a free home, free cash and free healthcare – no sod them, send them straight back or put a bullet in the dinghy before it gets off the beach in france.
freeloading parasites.
Turn it into a crappy arts centre with unfunny comedy shows, lame art, lame theatre, terrible musicians, and an overpriced cafe selling dried up and inedible vegetarian rubbish. It would be ideal for visits by deluded local councillors who can nod their stupid heads and praise its right on efforts. After a couple of years and minimal usage while burning cash from various sources (council, National Lottery, and other charities), the place would put out an appeal to “save our shite arts centre in Ryde”, before closing down not long after. Doesn’t take Nostradamus to work out how this goes.
This is a very sad post to read.
But absolutely spot on. Seen this happen before in several places. Does this small island really need another arts centre and would it just be another waste of money that only serves a minority? There are some well-run arts centres elsewhere in UK but a good business model is required to keep them going rather than relying on handouts.
Well said! Everywhere else has got these crappy things with no-one using them!
I would personally like to see Music Halls come back.
But I fear it may try to be and do too many things and thereby be a master of none.
Yeah, music halls; school disco venue; youth club… roller rink… ??
A suitable place to incarcerate the island’s councillors until they can justify their salaries against all the money they waste on ridiculous projects.
There are many issues with arts centres, they cannot exist without shed loads of public money on a seemingly perpetual basis, besides if there were far less of them it would not encourage people who cannot, draw,paint of make lifesize blobs out of recycled toilet rolls into believing they are the next damien hurst.
Given the assidious trajectory of one particular individual in Ryde,seemingly snapping up every laundrette,chippy,grocers and entire blocks in the town,presumably underscored by some religion based exemption from paying property taxes,i can imagine exactly what fate awaits this criminally neglected edifice ?
if the banks didn’t lend him the money, based on his business case then, he wouldn’t be snapping things up. He buys and rents out, uses the rental money to pay the banks back and in 20 years time will be the outright owner of all those properties, paid for by the state, through the benefit payments his tenants give him.
Just a standard way of making money
Why does the questionnaire only leave such a tiny space for additional comments or ideas?
There is such a shortage of affordable housing for rent. The best use for this building would be division into apartments for rent, to reduce the housing waiting list, instead of families having to be put in temporary accommodation.
A small area of the building could be used for the Ryde Heritage Museum.
An indoor market/farmer’s market would be nice and appeal to more people than an arts centre.
I have no idea what the interior is like though so no idea whether it’s suitable or not.
Excellent idea.A hub for farmers overspill produce gets my vote.
7000 tons of cowshit should just fill its capacity …
Farmers markets have been made redundant with the rise of farm shops.
Exactly right. There are plenty of farm shops now. Probably too many for such a small island but the tourists will keep them ticking over.
But this discussion just shows the total lack of imagination when the only suggestions are a doomed to fail arts centre run on handouts, a farm shop, or flats. Obviously, Ryde residents have no good use for this building so what is the point of raising money to buy it? Furthermore, if it could be turned into flats, I am pretty sure it would already be flats.
It could be used to store reclaimed materials from the Vectis hall and St.Thomas’s church.
“The Town Hall is a community-defining building
so, it should be opened up and offer a one stop shop, for citizens advice bureau, tax help, drop in centre for those with money worries, a functioning first aid hub, which would enable anyone injured to be able to attend for immediate first aid, a crisis room that someone can go to, if they feel they are being threatened and at risk until police arrive and public toilets, which have single cubicles that have a toilet/sink/mirror and sanitary bin in each, as well as a changing places facility for those who are confined to wheelchairs when out, as they contain a hoist/changing bed and shower/toilet.
funded by local council from local council taxes, instead of wasting it.