We're absolutely delighted to announce that, when Gift Aid and a few privately made donations are added to the total shown above, we've reached our target, and we've done it far quicker than we could possibly have imagined! The Whitekirk Community Company is IMMENSELY grateful to everyone who has contributed so generously over the last few weeks.

Thank you so much for helping us raise the funds we needed to secure the future of our wonderful village hall for our community!

You can still donate

Once our purchase of the hall is complete, we will of course need to continue our normal cycle of maintenance and improvement not least in terms of much-needed repairs to the roof and external timbers so we will continue to raise funds to cover the ongoing costs of these works.

If you would like to support us by contributing to this campaign despite our initial target having been met, your donations will be gratefully received.

About the campaign

Located in rural East Lothian some thirty miles east of Edinburgh, the village of Whitekirk is centred around the ancient and historic church of St Mary's. A designated conservation area, the village has a rich history, a thriving community and a welcoming heart.

The Village Hall provides an essential hub for community, social and private events, and is the only such amenity for some miles around. The building, however, is more than a village hall; it represents the community itself. Generations of villagers from Whitekirk and the surrounding communities will have many happy memories of convivial gatherings in this atmospheric building.

The hall is currently owned by the Church of Scotland, but has been managed by the Whitekirk Community Company* on behalf of the Kirk Session since 2014. The Church has now decided it no longer has a long term use for the Hall, and has offered to sell it to the village.

This campaign is designed to help us raise funds to ensure the building is secured for the community in perpetuity.

*WCC is a registered charity whose aim is to represent the interests of the residents of the village and surrounding community.

Why we need your help

In 2019, we applied for grant funding from the Scottish Land Fund to help us acquire the hall, and earlier this year we were delighted to be awarded a substantial grant towards its purchase.

Their generous award makes our goal immensely achievable, but leaves us needing to raise another £22,000 to meet the asking price. This is a lot for a small community to raise, but we were confident we could do it. What we did not anticipate was the arrival of a global Coronavirus pandemic. All our fundraising plans were consequently put on hold.

We are continuing discussions with the Church of Scotland, but as things stand at present, we must somehow make up the shortfall, and we must do so by the end of October 2020. If we fail to do this, the grant with be withdrawn.

We are now looking to you to support this worthwhile cause. Without your help, we may lose the essential community hub the hall provides, potentially to a private housing developer. Once gone, we will never be able to replace it.

Please give what you can. Every donation will take us a little closer to our target.

The hall past and present

Whitekirk's village hall was originally a "Tin Tabernacle" built in the East Lothian town of Gullane in 1901. Purchased in 1927 by the Women's Royal Institute, it was dismantled, moved seven miles and reassembled at its current location in Whitekirk. It became the home to the WRI's regular meetings, as well as to entertainments including whist drives, amateur dramatics and an annual panto.

Later acquired by the Church of Scotland, it was used as a session house, and was made available to members of the local community for private and social events. It is still regularly used as a polling station for national and local elections.

Since 2014, the hall has been managed and maintained by the Whitekirk Community Company, and is home to regular quiz nights, Burns suppers, the village's Christmas party and other social and community events.

The Whitekirk Community Company

Founded in 2009, the Company's principal aim is to "promote the sustainable development of Whitekirk to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs".

The main focus of the Company's activity over the last few years, however, has been to provide a calendar of fund-raising social events and to ensure that there is a venue in which those events can be held. To that end, the Company entered into an agreement with the Church of Scotland Kirk Session to take on its day-to-day management and upkeep. All the money we raise from social events is used to maintain and improve the physical fabric of the hall.

To date we have made many substantial improvements to the building, but have taken care to preserve its original structure and unique character. Improvements to date include the installation of a modern kitchen and disabled toilet facilities, upgrading of electrics and plumbing, external painting and roof repairs. Many things remain to be done, and day-to-day maintenance continues.

Your support in this campaign will be hugely appreciated by the Company and the Whitekirk community at large.