"It's a wonderful venue": Petition launched to save Amesbury's Wyndham Hall
It's already attracted attention from hundreds of people
The Wyndham Hall Action Group have set up a petition to try and stop the building from being sold.
The Diocese of Salisbury, who currently own the building, have confirmed that after discussions and a vote with the Amesbury Parochial Church Council they have decided to sell up.
They want to use the money they get to redevelop the church building.
In a statement, the Diocese of Salisbury said:
"The Parochial Church Council of St Mary and St Melor Church meet with the Archdeacon of Sarum last night to discuss the future of the Wyndham Hall. It was their fifth meeting in six months dedicated to the hall's future.
For the last ten years the hall has needed significant maintenance, management and marketing, and has struggled to break even. For much of that time it has been kept going by a small and dedicated group of church volunteers.
Amesbury has a number of church and community venues and all the groups previously using the Wyndham Hall have have been signposted to those.
The Church now intends to sell the hall and use the proceeds to redevelop its church building, making it a more attractive venue for community groups and events. The community's original investment will live on in the new and enhanced church building, belonging to everyone.
We will be discussing our future plans with members of the wider community to ensure the best outcome for everyone."
However, the action group say there was a lack of communication around this decision and they were not consulted with before.
In 2011, the people of Amesbury helped raise funds to open Wyndham Hall which has been a community asset for 10 years.
It shut in August 2020, with people unable to hire it out.
Angela Bayliss, from Wyndham Hall Action Group, told Greatest Hits Radio that it's vital for the town that the building remains in it's current purpose:
"It's been a wonderful venue, it's brought lots and lots of people from all different walks of life together, we've offered lots to the children and older members of the community, it's been such an asset. I was just absolutely incredulous in fact many people said to me that it was astounding and unbelievable that the church could even think of selling it and also our population is growing in Amesbury, we have more people, more military locally so there is a need and there is also a need for a reasonably priced hall which the Wyndham Hall always offered that and it's been used for so many different things I just found it so difficult to think that we could lose that. having worked so hard to create it."
The petition has already gained around 150 signatures.