Member Article

York Handmade plays pivotal role in new £500k village hall

The York Handmade Brick Company has played a crucial role in the creation of a brand-new village hall at Husthwaite, near Easingwold.

York Handmade, the leading independent brickmaker in the north of England, supplied 11,000 traditional bricks for the construction of the £500,000 new hall.

Will Mowat, the chairman of the Husthwaite Village Hall committee, commented: “We are absolutely delighted with the way our new village hall looks and a good deal of credit must go to York Handmade, whose bricks make the village hall look very elegant, as well as fitting in seamlessly with the traditional and historic Husthwaite houses near the hall.

“York Handmade provided the bricks at a concessionary rate, which was tremendously kind of them. They are based at nearby Alne and were keen to support a community project. The result is tremendous and we are very grateful to York Handmade for their help,” said Mr Mowat.

David Armitage, the chairman and managing director of York Handmade, commented: “We have strong links with the village of Husthwaite through our staff and were only too happy to help to build the new village hall. We used our popular Thirkleby Blend bricks, which were perfect for the village.

“These days, as more and more pubs and village shops are closing in rural areas, the village hall is becoming the focal point of the community. The previous village hall in Husthwaite, build in the 1920s, had become unfit for purpose and the villagers, to their great credit, fought long and hard to raise enough money to build a new one,” he said.

Will Mowat explained that the new hall, which has recently opened its doors, already held a cherished position in the heart of the community.

He said: “The new hall has been built thanks to the generous support of the Big Lottery and other funds. It has excellent facilities and caters for most needs. The main hall seats up to 120; the committee room is suitable for smaller meetings and small groups. The kitchen is available for tea and coffee and also has the facilities for large events and we have a licensed bar which is run in conjunction with many of our events.

“We were sad to say goodbye to the old hall, which held many happy memories, but its core was an old Army hut from Ripon, brought to the village by farmers using a horse and cart, which was prone to leaking. It just wasn’t right for the 21st century. Now we are able to cater for all parts of our community in comfort and safety.

“Our programme of events covers theatre, music, film, comedy, quizzes, exercise activities, table tennis, short mat bowls and almost anything the community wants. We also run a café, The Apple Tree café, once a month. The regular clubs which meet in the hall include the Orchard Village Club, The Book Exchange, the Gardening Club, the Film Club and the History Society,” he added.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Robert Beaumont .