Selkirk OnLine
Plea for villagers to save their hall
Lindean Village Hall caretaker and committee member Ian Hardie fears for the building's future.
From the outside, it looks like an old disused shed with its peeling grey corrugated-iron walls and weather-worn roofing. But step inside and there's a heartening warm glow as decades of community life echo around its wood-panel walls and scribbled notes about WRI meetings hang next to national petitions to 'Save the Village Hall' on the noticeboard.
This is Lindean Village Hall, home to local art classes, line dancing, bowling, the occasional dance and, of course, the village Christmas party.
It has a colourful history dating back to pre-war years and photos on the wall are a reminder of the last passenger steam trains to pull into Lindean station more than 50 years ago. The hall is very much at the centre of life in Lindean - but it is now facing a crisis which threatens to strike a blow to the heart of the community. The hall committee is in desperate need of new members and this week launched an appeal, warning that activities at the hall and its role in the village could be lost if fresh support doesn't come forward.
Committee chairman John Smail said: "The same handful of people have been keeping the hall running over the past few years and unless more Lindean residents are prepared to get involved, then the hall's future could be at risk."
Caretaker Ian Hardie, who has been on the committee for 30 years, yesterday told The Wee Paper he was worried about the future of the hall. "It's very important to the community," he said. "If no-one comes forward, I don't know what will happen. Numbers on the committee are dropping. People tend to stay on it quite a while, but some have moved on now and they need to be replaced. "I don't want to see it go down. It's been here such a long time and is a good social centre for the village."
This is a crucial time for the hall, with the original roof expected to need replacing in the near future. Temporary repairs were carried out recently to stop minor leaking, but major work is anticipated next year. As well as new committee members, a new treasurer is also needed to replace George Anderson, who steps down this year. Villagers are being urged to show support for the centre and its role in the community by attending the AGM on Sunday, November 25, at 10am in the hall.
Selkirk Online is very grateful to Susan Windram and her team at the Selkirk Weekend Advertiser for supporting the site by providing this news item.