SIR,
On behalf of the Shire Hall Stewards, I would like to thank all those people who supported our fundraising activity on Friday 19th March at Bridges. The £550 raised will go towards the refurbishment of the Shire Hall clock.
We are grateful to those who staged the fashion show, in particular Viyella, who were the prime movers in the event together with 'Hair and Beauty'. Other contributions were welcomed from Lucy Sweeting (hats), Phil Munday and D Rosser.
By now most of you will have seen the newly-restored splendour of the Shire Hall's exterior – and you will not be disappointed when you compare the interior alterations with the previous state of the building. You will know too that the work would not have been possible without the £3.5 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, but that amount was concomitant on the community raising £42,500 towards the costs. The Shire Hall Stewards undertook to do that. We are now on the last lap, which is of course proving to be the hardest. We have yet to raise about £14,000. Viyella, a relative newcomer to the town, has raised over a thousand pounds for us - a magnificent effort for which we are very grateful. Any other body or person interested in making a contribution in any way would be welcomed and should get in touch with our secretary on 01600 772686.
Eira Steggles