Ryde Town Hall Trust is calling on all residents, stakeholders and grant funders to support them in their efforts to transform the much-loved but neglected town centre building.
Dear residents, stakeholders and grant funders.
“We can all see that Ryde Town Hall is in a parlous state. The recently published Conservation Management Plan & Condition Report [https://iwhaz.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/RYDE-TOWN-HALL-CONDITION-REPORT-FINAL-23.1-Small-File-3.pdf] commissioned by Ryde Town Council, has brought into sharp focus the increasingly rapid deterioration of the building, the lack of security (highlighted by a number of recent break-ins) and the urgent need for strong, reliable stewardship of the building.
“Facilitated by Ryde Town Council, the Ryde Town Hall Trust (RTHT) was registered in May 2023 with the aim of securing ownership of Ryde Town Hall and returning it to public use.
Article continues below this advertisement “A number of factors made for a challenging start for the Ryde Town Hall Trust. The most notable of these challenges came in April 2024 when two of its Trustees chose to establish a limited company (a ‘CIC’) as a vehicle for their own ambitions for the Town Hall. This company presented direct competition to the Ryde Town Hall Trust on which they were already serving. After queries were raised about a conflict of interest, they resigned from the Trust in June 2024.
“The Trust now has a strengthened Board with four new Trustees who share the passion and determination to see this community building returned to public use. The Trust is continuing to identify further Trustees with the specialist skills and knowledge required for a project of this scale. With a renewed collective determination to ‘see right’ by this beloved but much-neglected building, our keystones are transparency, collaboration and good governance. We enjoy the confidence of national funders and the support of local Councillors and the Friends of Ryde Town Hall.
“As a fully-fledged charity with a community-minded and growing, knowledgeable Board, RTHT calls on Ryde Town Council, the Ryde Town Board, national grant funders and the local community to support our efforts – together we will work to secure the vision, planning, funding and restoration of this vital community asset.”
It would to know what their plans for the building are. Simply preserving the building is not enough. Will it be a theatre, a music venue, a multi purpose meeting venue, night club ?
I would not consider helping unless I knew what their long term aspirations are.
For goodness sake, let’s stop hanging to the past – who wants to live in a mausoleum? Knock these unwanted, expensive to run buildings down and start afresh with new ones that have a purpose. Let’s get the Island moving forwards instead of backwards.