The village of Threlkeld boasts an asset which other community groups in the North Lakes have looked at to see what they could learn.
Not only is Threlkeld village hall one of the most modern in the district, it also incorporates a coffee shop which is popular with local residents and visitors to the area.
It is run by a community interest company which pays rent to the hall, with any profits supporting local groups or going back to boost hall funds.
Manager Steven Campbell said: “We have worked hard over the last few years building up a local customer base and our ongoing success has proved it’s working.
“We as a business have strong links to the local community, including the primary school, church and groups such as the women’s institute. We have a bookcase in the coffee shop which we ask for donations which then go to Threlkeld primary school. We have done cooking demos with local groups, too.
“We feel the coffee shop is a hub for people to get together, especially because the village has elderly residents.
“We have had various evening events offering Christmas dinners and the like. We also have a retail shelf in the coffee shop from which we sell local gifts and products, including pottery which is hand made by a lady that lives in the village.”
He added: “The recent reopening of the Keswick to Threlkeld pathway last December has brought massive footfall into the village and our reputation is increasing.
“We were uncertain what the future held when the pandemic hit and we were very cautious with our reopening, but within weeks all our staff were back and our customers started returning. We were very strict with our Covid precautions and I think it proved right as our customers kept on returning.”
The hall itself provides flexible accommodation including a large main hall, a smaller meeting room, kitchen with serving hatch, toilets and even showers in the men’s, women’s and disabled toilets. There is underfloor heating, and power is supplied by by an underground heat source pump and photovoltaic panels.
Hall committee secretary Steven Oldfield said: “We have monthly parish council meetings, women’s group meetings, a housing association, we get quite a number of weddings and we have a ‘wedding package’ which covers Friday lunchtime to Sunday lunchtime.
“We have had about a dozen camping groups staying in the hall since Covid receded. We are lucky to be situated where we are, and the existence of the Threlkeld Keswick walk along the old railway line is a real boon.
“Our big news is that we have taken over the abandoned public toilets next to the hall. We have engaged architects to design a plan to knock down and rebuild to create an extension to the hall, giving the coffee shop more space for food preparation and more storage space for the main hall. This will be a big job and will not be completed until possibly early 2023.”
He added that while things generally are going well at the hall, what would give it a big boost would be the involvement of some younger, enthusiastic committee members.
