A cherished building in a Warwickshire town was reopened to the public for the first time in almost 11 years as it hosted a Christmas Fayre.
Alcester’s Greig Hall, which had been closed to visitors since 2011, was reopened by the town’s Mayor Cllr Kathryn Cargill ahead of several Christmas-themed attractions, such as a Santa’s Grotto, carol singing, and Morris dancing.
The Christmas Fayre was funded through the Welcome Back Fund, from the European Regional Development Fund money through the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
The money is managed by Shakespeare’s England on behalf of Stratford District Council.
The Greig Hall was first opened in 1958 but closed due to financial difficulties in 2011. It was previously used to host community groups in Alcester, as well as private functions.
Cllr Mark Cargill of Alcester Town Council, who has been instrumental in getting the Greig Hall in a position to reopen, was delighted with the Fayre and the turnout.
He said: “It was a fantastic occasion – the Greig Hall has been a key part of Alcester for many years and there was huge public appetite for it to reopen.
“And Alcester came out in force for the Fayre. We estimate around 800 people came along to see the inside of the hall once again and enjoy the Christmas activities. Even the weather was kind – it all worked out rather nicely for us.
“It highlighted that there is still demand in Alcester for a facility like the Greig Hall for functions such as these. We will now continue our work to get the Hall ready for a full reopening, hopefully in spring next year.
“I have to thank everyone who made the event possible – including the incredible work from the Friends of Greig Hall and their furniture shop Home 2 Home. They have raised a huge amount to help fund the vital repairs the Hall needed before we could reopen.”
Alcester Town Council took a long lease of the Hall in April 2021 with the ultimate aim to pass it onto the recently formed charity ‘The Greig Hall’, to be run by the community.
While the work to fully reopen the Hall has not yet finished, Alcester Town Council is hopeful the Hall will be sufficiently finished to reopen in spring 2022.
Glyn Slade, Welcome Back Event Manager at Shakespeare’s England, added: “The Greig Hall reopening to the public is such a big occasion for everyone in Alcester, so it was only fitting that a fun Christmas Fayre was held alongside it.
“The Fayre was a lovely way to attract Alcester’s residents to the Hall’s reopening, so it was a great use of what the Welcome Back Fund was created for – bringing people back into their town centres. I’m really pleased the day went as well as it did.”
CAPTION – From left: Cllr Mark Cargill, Alcester Mayor Cllr Kathryn Cargill, and town crier David Parkes