A new community centre in one of Huddersfield’s most picturesque villages is available for hire.

Villagers living in Holme next to Holme Moss above Holmfirth have worked hard over the last seven years to turn a historic building into a new community centre.

The project up to now has cost £200,000 which has seen the ground floor totally renovated. Holme Village Community Centre has a large room, a fully fitted kitchen, toilets and also hosts the library from the tiny Holme Junior and Infant School which is virtually next door.

The school has 34 pupils but can be cramped when hosting events so the community centre will give them more space, especially when the upstairs is renovated which will hopefully be by late next year, where they may even hold school assemblies.

A further £60,000 is needed to transform the upstairs into a large room with a stage, toilets and showers. It means it can also be hired out for groups to stay overnight if out walking in the striking countryside around Holmfirth.

 

 

The centre began as the former Holme Village Liberal Club which originally opened in May 1885. In July 1930 the club ceased its association with the Liberal Party and changed its name to the Holme Village Institute with its main aim to “promote the social enjoyment of its members” but stopped staging social functions in the 1980s and by the end only had around 14 members.

In 2017 Holme Village Residents Association identified the need for a local community hub and the Institute members were happy to hand the building over and it has now become a charitable trust.

Trustee Shirley Amesbury, who has been landlady at the Fleece pub in the village for 24 years, said: “The building was in a poor state of repair when we took it over which is why it’s taken us seven years to get it to where we are today, although Covid certainly didn’t help and delayed things.

“We are absolutely delighted with the centre now and very proud of it … it’s a super space.”

 

 

The centre was opened by Bill and Jean Mackie who have lived in the village for 50 years and host an annual garden party.

Children from Holme Junior and Infant School sang at the opening which was attended by well over 100 people.

The village, which now has around 230 residents, has massively rallied around the scheme and organised lots of fundraising with more planned.

To find out more about Holme Village Community Centre and to book it go to Community Centre – Welcome – Holme village

Written by ANDY HIRST who runs his own Yorkshire freelance journalism agency AH! PR (https://ah-pr.com/) specialising in press releases, blogging, website content, copywriting and ghost writing autobiographies.

Images by: SANDIE NICHOLSON