Although the Trust had hoped to secure temporary premises in the former British Heart Foundation Charity Shop in Fore Street during the refurbishment programme, it eventually proved untenable as the cost of converting the ground floor was estimated by our contractors to be in the region of £240,000. Although the Trust would have had the opportunity to bid for a grant from Wiltshire Council’s Vacant Commercial Units Fund, we would have still been required to find 25% of the overall cost which, unfortunately, was beyond our capability given that we will be unable to generate any income until our anticipated re-opening in May 2025, apart from funding provided by grants for specific activities such as our community outreach programme.
As the end of July fast approaches, we are connecting our hirers with other venues across the town who can provide alternative space during our closure. Here we’ve created a document with details of 24 possible venues where we hope our current community groups and hirers will be able to relocate to.
We’d like to thank our hirers for their support over the years, and hope to see them back at the Town Hall when we reopen in 2025.