The official objects of Wiveliscombe Town Hall Trust are to preserve, restore and maintain the Town Hall for the benefit of the local communities and to allow public use for leisure and recreation that benefits local residents.

For many years the ambition has been for the Town Hall to host a range of performing arts including theatre, cinema, music and dance. Recently the town has lost the use of the hall at the Primary School, thus leaving Cinema Obscura homeless, while the theatre at Kingsmead has been demolished and replaced with a smaller facility. Furthermore there is no heritage venue in the town, other than St Andrews Church, which can be hired for events and performances. The reopened Town Hall can therefore fill a niche in local provision, providing a valuable space purposefully designed and equipped for the performing arts.

The Trust will curate its own programme of events and at other times the Hall will be available for hire for compatible activities. However, we are keen to avoid duplicating, competing with or undermining other spaces that already exist in the town so we will avoid the range of activities usually found at the Community Centre, Silver St Centre etc.

Community Engagement, Volunteering and Outreach

The Town Hall Trust and the aspiration to bring the Hall back into use has always been a community led project. All the Trustees over the years have been local residents and our aims are firmly rooted in the needs of the community. To be successful in the coming years we will need to maintain a strong ongoing dialogue with the wide community and also support a body of volunteers upon whom the Hall’s success will be dependent.

We also aspire to support and develop new audiences in the local area. So whenever possible we will work with our performers to hold additional performances for and even at local schools, residential homes and non-traditional venues where we can reach people who otherwise may never think of attending an event at the Town Hall.

Equalities

We want the Town Hall to proceed as a diverse and inclusive organisation that is representative of the population of Wiveliscombe and the 10 Parishes. We want to offer equality of opportunity to our  potential audiences and arts organisations.

Sustainability

Wiveliscombe Town Hall Trust is committed to minimising its environmental impact. As we bring the building back into use we will consider how to minimise our energy consumption and ensure that that energy we use comes from renewable sources (our energy supplier is Ecotricity). We will strive to ensure that our purchasing prioritises products with the least environmental impact, buying second hand whenever feasible and always seeking to repair and extend the lifespan of the fixtures, fittings and equipment. We will promote sustainable transport options to our audiences (travel to and from events at the Town Hall will be one of the biggest areas of environmental impact) encouraging walking, cycling and lift sharing whenever possible.