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Villagers' quest to finish historic hall's refurb

Dragonfly PR The front of the Toppin Memorial Hall, the village hall at Skelton, near Penrith, Cumbria. It is a large double-fronted village hall made of local red sandstone, with an old stone wall and painted green metal gates in front of it, a gravel car park and has a porch way entrance. The new solar panels are visible on the roof, and the sky above is grey. Dragonfly PR
Skelton's village hall was designed by J H Martindale of Carlisle and opened in 1923

A group trying to turn a village hall into the "best in Cumbria" as part of its centenary celebrations is trying to raise more funds.

Skelton Toppin Memorial Hall's committee said it had "battled against the odds" to refurbish and future-proof the site near Penrith.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost of living crisis, a three-year plan that began in late 2019 has doubled in length.

But the committee are at the halfway stage and hope to raise about £200,000 to complete the £500,000 transformation.

Skelton Toppin Memorial Hall Christine Sealby, Bob Provoncha, William Pearson and Robert Towers standing outside the hall while holding up a banner to promote one of the many fundraising events that have taken place earlier this year.Skelton Toppin Memorial Hall
The parish council said the hall was "extremely important" to the village community

The 101-year-old building was envisaged and funded by Fred Toppin, vice-president of the New York-based International Mercantile Marine Company, which controlled the famous White Star Line and owned the Titanic.

It was to honour his father, John Castlehow Toppin, a local farming figure who died in 1915.

When built, the hall was state-of-the-art, with its own power supply and electricity before the rest of the village. The recent work has been to modernise it again.

The hall can now run independently of the National Grid, and solar panels, better insulation and an e-car charging point have been fitted - creating what the committee hopes will be a safe haven for villagers in any emergencies.

Dragonfly PR Workmen inside the hall during the recent refurbishment work. There is scaffolding up, the ceiling has been pulled back to its bare beams, and the new ecological green-coloured insulation is visible on the walls around the large windows.Dragonfly PR
The hall's committee want to make it the "best in Cumbria"

Robert Towers, chair of the hall's trustees, said they had aimed to make it "the best village hall in Cumbria".

The 78-year-old said the committee hoped what it was trying to do "would please Mr Toppin, if he were alive".

Mr Towers said their original plans were scuppered during Covid, as forecasted costs rose from £300,000 to £900,000, while "at the same time grant funds went the other way".

Instead, they have worked in stages, and are now halfway through thanks to various grants, including from the National Lottery.

Dragonfly PR The finished inside main auditorium at Skelton Toppin Memorial Hall. It has a new wooden floor, mint green painted wall panelling, white ceiling and natural coloured wooden roof supportingDragonfly PR
The hall has been fitted out with better insulation and can run independently of the National Grid if needed

Mr Towers added: "It's not been an easy ride, we've battled against the odds and there's still a lot to do, but it's hugely important.

"When you stepped inside, it was very uninviting, cold and miserable, but we've made it state-of-the-art and attractive again."

Stacey Creighton, chair of Skelton Parish Council, said the group had been "pioneering" in what it had tried to achieve.

She said: "It's extremely important. If we didn't have the hall, then we wouldn't have any community gatherings and we would all be very isolated."

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