Memorial hall opens its doors (From Gazette & Herald)

Memorial hall opens its doors

IT WAS an emotional moment for Pickering Mayor Bill McCall when he formally received the keys to the town's newly-refurbished memorial hall.

In front of the Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, Lord Crathorne, patron Sir Marcus Worsley and benefactor Sir Martin Beckett, Coun McCall was praised for his 'gritty determination' in getting the project together.

Coun Betsy Hill, deputy mayor of Pickering told assembled guests how the town council had played a strong part in helping successive memorial hall trustees achieve success.

The hall had been neglected for years, In the late 80s, Pickering Town Council, with the help of Dennis Cusworth, then chief executive of Ryedale District Council, decided to do something about it themselves.

They raised money from residents through the town council precept. Coun Hill said: "This was, of course, quite controversial and met a great howl of discontent amongst many."

While going through the planning process, however, the town council discovered it did not actually own the building and it was a registered charity.

Over the next ten years, successive trustees worked towards the refurbishment of the hall. While all this was happening, the money raised through the precept had grown and so last year, the town council was able to give £120,000 to the hall.

That £120,000 formed the base for attracting further funding. Coun Hill added it was to the town council's great credit they kept faith with the project right through. The council offices were now in the building which had been the centre of civic life to the town as long as anyone can remember.

Accepting the keys to the hall from builder Arthur Woodhouse, Coun McCall, as head of the trustees' project management team, thanked the many people involved in the £810,000 scheme.

The trustees had the great foresight when planning the refurbishment to involve the Welsh Guards. Not only have the guards provided the town with some wonderful musical events, but their association has underlined the hall's connection with internationally celebrated artist Rex Whistler.

Whistler was with the Welsh Guards during the war in Pickering. The guards threw a Christmas party for which Rex Whistler painted a now-famous cartoon.

This painting has enabled the trustees to draw on much wider sources of funding than they would otherwise have had.

At the hall's formal opening were Roland and Mary Wilcock from Witney in Oxfordshire. Mr Wilcock, an octogenarian, has kept close ties with Pickering and the hall.

He knew Sir Laurence Whistler, Rex Whistler's brother and corresponded with him for many years. When the Rex Whistler mural was uncovered, Mr Wilcock came to see it and has made the trip from Oxfordshire to North Yorkshire several times following its progress.

Architect Chris O'Neill praised Ryedale District Council for its foresight in permitting the development based around a wood and glass-fronted design.

The patron of the memorial hall, Sir Marcus Worsley, said Bill McCall had been a tower of strength in the project. "He has been an inspiration," said Sir Marcus.

Updated: 16:19 Thursday, February 15, 2001