Bowland Scrapbook | Page 20

VILL AGE HALLS AND SCHOOLS eting place Chipping Village halls are an important me ung and old. for all members of the community, yo Gisburn Thornley School was and the building s closed in 1978 ornley school wa ether and started to Th le got tog eet. group of local peop local people can m deteriorating, but a l into a hub where turn the schoo fund raise to Redundant school buildings can be use to benefit the community. Hornby Institute put to o the w people to move int popular reason for ne e cases these smaller Village schools are a t in som have smaller classes bu to ny children now have AONB as they tend to e of schools and ma ve led to the closur classes ha by bus and taxi. closed in 2000 travel long distances Tosside School which t by a for mer head at school,” said Mrs This commen teaching in a village ren always really enjoyed ildren and their child is typical: “I I was teaching local ch around, but these ouse, “Over the years Newh ms for miles m came from the far a.” in turn. Most of the ved away from the are have mo days so many of them ar people started Once village meeting places began to disappe r own area and to lose contact with what was going on in thei feeling isolated was a common complaint. have started their To help overcome this several communities and events. own newsletters, reporting on local people ger are just three Tosside News , Hornby Contact and The Villa examples. groups to meet - the place for all kinds of Village halls are the e hall is opened every Dunsop Bridge villag de WI are regular users. rs to enjoy home ma the summer for visito families. nday throughout Su s and stop for walkers, cyclist Caton, Hornby cakes and is a popular titutes such as those at are also village ins There the Victorian desire owe their existence to Wray. Many of these and s and were often gifted for the working classe IT to provide education ton Institute has an althy landowners. Ca s. to the village by we line dancing and Pilate r classes such as being used rce centre and regula resou singly institutes are increa Village halls and es a place for institute even provid Hornby as wedding venues. ld. the flu clinic to be he “When the sc hool closed the vi llage hall was the only place we could meet each other.” Chipping Villa ge Hall Village pubs ha ve always been place for local a meeting people. Unfortu nately several of them have closed and th e communities have lost an im portant venue. Others have developed food and accommod ation to cater for high spendi ng visitors as w ell as remaining a good local. Sewing class, Slaidburn “Evening classes like keep fit and sewing used to be held at the school so it was also a social occasion.” There is a wide range of activities at the village halls, from short carpet bowls in West Bradford to toddler groups in Over Wyresdale. An over sixties party was started in Newton in 1976 and is still being held each year. and a buyer has yet to be found The Talbot Hotel closed recently Bleasdale Post Office