MP visits Stanhope to discuss church hall
THE MP for Bishop Auckland, whose constituency includes Weardale, paid a visit to Stanhope yesterday.
After spending a busy day in his office reviewing casework and catching up on much needed desk time as well as dealing with a visit from a constituent whose case he is fighting, Sam Rushworth MP spent the evening in the Dale.
He met up with local residents connected through Weardale Together CIC to discuss the future of St Thomas church hall.
He said, “I know St Thomas’ Church Hall is a cherished community space. I’ve enjoyed visiting the Root & Branch Community Café there before, attending Makers Markets, and supporting Stanhope Scouts to put on a Christmas Dinner for senior citizens.
“I’ll do all I can to work with the community to ensure we protect these spaces for people to connect.”
The future of the church hall is in doubt and although the Weardale Gazette has asked for further information regarding the move from there to the Methodist Schoolrooms by the Root and Branch Community Café, no reply has been received from the Parochial Church Council as we went to press.
It was at a meeting held in St Thomas church some weeks ago that it became clear that the church hall’s future as a community space was in jeopardy. Weardale Together CIC, which runs the Root and Branch Café, applied to have the church hall listed as a community asset and launched an appeal to stop it being sold.
As of this moment in time, the plans for the church hall by the Parochial Church Council are unknown. Its future is unknown but Mr Rushworth is giving it his backing.
