Harrogate villagers' appeal reaches £30,000 in bid to buy Ripley Town Hall for the community
A campaign to buy a historic venue from Ripley Castle Estate has raised £30,000 already.
It was only in late June that a group of villagers launched an appeal on Crowdfunder to raise a target of £50,000+ to buy Ripley Town Hall, which was built in 1854.
As well as being a valued community asset in the village between Harrogate and Ripon, the venue has played host to some of the world's top blues, soul and rock musicians, including Paul Jones, Georgie Fame, Steve Cropper, Taj Mahal, The Yardbirds, Magna Carta and The Animals.
The public appeal follows an announcement by the much-respected Ingilby family that their multi-million pound estate at Ripley up was up for sale.
The beautiful village is dominated by the 14th century castle, a historic landmark which has been home to the Ingilby family for the past 700 years.
The volunteer members of Ripley Star Club committee told the Harrogate Advertiser they had “agreed to purchase the Ripley Town Hall from Ripley Castle Estate for £400,000” in order to retain the well-used venue for live music events and general community use.
Speaking this week, Andy Herrington, a key figure in organising gigs at the town hall, said: “Our project to buy Ripley Town Hall has gathered pace and we have so far received more than £30,000, which is a good start but there is still a long way to go to hit the target.
“The hall has been in constant use by the community since it was built.”
The latest show at the venue is The Songs The Beatles Gave Away with legendary BBC radio and TV presenter Bob Harris and author/music journalist Colin Hall which will take place this Friday.
Dancing in the Dales has kindly offered to run a fundraising concert in support of the Ripley Town Hall campaign on September 14.
For information and tickets, email Mark Wallace at [email protected].
If you would like to donate to the Crowdfunder appeal, visit: http://crowdfunder.co.uk/p/purchase-of-ripley-town-hall
You can also donate without fees or tips to Ripley Star Club at HSBC 40-23-12 no 71450085.
For tickets, visit: https://ripleylive.com/