Royal hall just £50,000 from glory
IT'S been almost two years since Harrogate's Royal Hall opened in a blaze of glory following its £10.7m restoration – now fundraisers are asking people to dig deep to help finally finish the project.
A total of 50,000 is still needed to complete the historic building, and restore it to the "palace of glittering gold" as the Royal Hall was known on opening in 1903.
Following its re-opening in April, 2008, the Royal Hall, originally known as The Kursaal, has become an important venue in North Yorkshire's cultural scene.
It is used widely not only for concerts and theatrical events, but as a conference venue, dance hall and 'town hall,' hosting the annual mayor-making ceremony and school speech days.
Magnificent
But members of the Royal Hall Restoration Trust, who raised a massive 2.7m to help pay for the restoration of the historic building, are calling for fresh help. And they are asking people to 'sponsor a seat' to raise the remaining cash.
Russell Davidson, the chairman of the Trust, said: "My fellow trustees and I cannot thank enough those who helped make this magnificent achievement a reality – something few thought possible when we started off.
"The Trust's work is now nearly done but there are a few important, additional works needed to complete the job."
Work still to be done on the Hall includes new period bars in the North and South ambulatories, new 'star' dressing rooms in the basement, improved acoustics to the stage area and improvements to the Heritage Lounge in the dress circle.
Finest
Mr Davidson said the "iconic building had gone from strength to strength and gained unbounded admiration and affection from all of those who entered through its doors."
And he urged people to help with "the final push".
"The Trust has just enough money left to provide two beautiful new bars for the ambulatories, but no money for these other important complimentary projects. 50,000 will do the lot!" he said.
Mr Davidson said the work would allow the Royal Hall to "achieve its deserved status of being one of the finest performing venues in the country".
There are only 150 seats left in the dress circle to sponsor – and in return for 300 people will be able to choose their own inscription on the back of the seat to record a special person, achievement or date.
Investment
Mr Davidson said there were also still a number of limited edition prints available for sale of the Royal Hall, created by local artist Alister Colley.
"Alister is achieving a well-deserved reputation for the quality of his unique, quirky style and these prints could prove to be an excellent investment, as well as great fun to possess," said Mr Davidson.
Since the Royal Hall re-opened, work has continued on the building, including the installation of new stained glass windows, the sanding and sealing of the Grand Hall ballroom floor, the purchase of new chairs and tables, and improvements to signage and dcor.
Anyone interested in sponsoring a seat, buying a print or organising a fund-raising event should contact the Royal Hall Restoration Trust, Royal House, 110 Station Parade, Harrogate HG1 1EP or telephone 01423 505805.
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Weather for Harrogate
Thursday 24 May 2012
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