Target reached!
In total we have the opportunity to raise £175000 which has pleded match funding ava...
SOS - Save Our Space! New Galloway
Castle Douglas, Dumfries and Galloway, United Kingdom
Aim
We are raising money to ensure New Galloway Town Hall is fully accessible and comfortable. Match funding means every penny raised is doubled
New Galloway Town Hall is a listed building in the conservation area of the smallest Royal Burgh in Scotland. It stands in the heart of our small town and is a physical and emotional asset for the whole community providing wonderful space, upstairs and down, for activities, events, meetings and opportunities of all kinds. We (LING, which stands for Local Initiatives in New Galloway) have been managing the Town Hall with and for the community for seven years already.
Here are some photos of the building and of some of the activities that have happened there in recent years.
Now we're raising money urgently for repairs and refurbishment because our town hall is set to become community owned and a lot of work is needed to make the building fit for the future. We need it to be a comfortable, functional space which is accessible for all, with a lift to the main hall and toilets that can accommodate wheelchair users. And we need to reduce its carbon footprint, with improved insulation and a switch from oil-fired to renewable energy sources to replace our ancient heating system.
We’ve already installed a new kitchen and nearly finished the toilets downstairs, but there's a lot more needing to be done! The building is structurally sound but, of course, there is complete rewiring to be installed, roof and outer walls to be repaired, timber infestation treatment needed, rotten window frames to be replaced, and we’d just love more storage space and small meeting rooms to be created.
We’re working very hard and (touch wood) quite successfully so far on applying for grants. As a result, we have that amazing guarantee (from the Community Ownership Fund) that all money we can raise before April will be match funded – up to the eye-watering total of £175,000. That includes any further grant promises we have achieved, and, of course, all the money raised by this fund-raising appeal.
We’re aiming to raise as much as we can from this Crowdfunder in the next four weeks. Not only will every penny we receive be automatically doubled, but everything we gain this way provides significant evidence to potential grant funders that we do have community support. That can be the key that unlocks a positive response.
By donating money during this campaign you can be confident that your cash will be doubled towards our efforts. Do share the link far and wide with friends and family and anyone who may have fond memories of times past in the Glenkens. If you click on the video link, you’ll hear the story of Dr Millman who was a significant figure here in the 19th century. His great great granddaughter now lives in Canada and we are thrilled and astonished that she and her partner have been in touch and have already made a generous donation to this project. So, as well as thinking of donating yourself (and thank you very much if you are), remember it’s worth spreading the word too. Every little helps. That's a great thought when we have so much to do to create a hall that will benefit everybody in our community for many years to come!
This project successfully funded on 26th February 2022