A small team of Pocklington Town Councillors, Trustees, and volunteers have worked tirelessly to ensure that Burnby Hall will be saved for the benefit of the local community. However, in order to realise the vision and make the Community Hub the best it can possibly be, we now need the support of residents and businesses in the local area. With a little help, this project can be a great success, securing a community asset truly valued by the people of Pocklington and beyond.

The community asset transfer from East Riding of Yorkshire Council to Pocklington Town Council is nearing completion. As an interim step, from the 1^st October the Town Council will be licensed to manage the Community Hall, with the Pocklington Community Trust providing volunteers to oversee the process. On completion of the Community Asset Transfer, the Pocklington Community Trust will lease Burnby Hall from the Town Council.

Using the Facilities

The most obvious way to support the Burnby Hall project is for residents, local groups, charities and businesses to make use of the Community Hall. Hire charges have been halved from the previous tariff to make hiring the room affordable and a new on-line booking and payment system will make the booking process quicker and simpler. The new booking system is now live.  The Community Trust will also endeavour to ensure that all forward bookings made through ERYC will be honoured.

Become a Volunteer

From the beginning of October, when we take over the running of the Community Hall, there will be a need for additional volunteers to help with:

• The operation of the booking system
•  Assisting with other administrative tasks.
• Co-ordinating volunteers
• Handling routine maintenance tasks
• Duty Managers (responsible for opening and closing the hall, and ensuring it has been left clean and tidy)  

We are also looking for anyone with experience/expertise in the following areas:

• Facility Management
• Charity Fundraising and Development
• Planning and executing fund raising events
• On-line and off-line promotion of events
• Crafting promotional materials
• Grant bid writing
• Community Engagement and Marketing
• Photography and Graphic Design

We would love to hear from anyone who would like to volunteer for any of these tasks. After the refurbishment of Burnby Hall is complete, more volunteers will be needed. Volunteers from the community will play a crucial role in ensuring the hub operates smoothly.

Please contact us at [email protected] if you can help us in any way.

Supporting Fund Raising Activities

Fundraising is essential to the success of the Pocklington Community Hub project. We need to raise as much money as possible and although the Pocklington Community Trust can access grant funding, many of these require match-funding. Therefore, it is vital that we dedicate time and effort to raising funds and every member of the community has a role to play:

• Individuals

We will soon be setting up an appeal to the local community which will encourage households and individuals to make their own contribution to the Burnby Hall project and help us realise our plans. We would love for as many households as possible to contribute to our appeal. All donations, large and small, make a difference and with more than 10,000 residents in Pocklington, we can raise immensely valuable funding. We are also exploring the possibility of establishing a ‘Friends of Burnby Hall’ group to provide further on-going support. We recognise that technology now plays an increasingly important part in raising donations. The power of social media and the use of on-line giving platforms have become an important channel for many charities.

As an alternative way to support the Burnby Hall project, at no cost to yourself, would you consider signing up to easyfundraising? Where we receive a donation from the retailer when you make an online purchase through one of the 7000+ businesses who support the scheme. It could make a huge difference to the charity. Please click here for more information and details of how to register on the scheme.

• Businesses

 Pocklington is fortunate to have a thriving business community. We hope that many of you will recognise the importance and potential of this ambitious project to Pocklington and its surrounding areas, and will want to show your support for the local community either by sponsorship or by giving a donation to the project. Gifts in kind are also a great way to utilise your company’s assets and professional skills, while achieving your Corporate Social Responsibility goals.

• Groups

There are over 70 local charity and voluntary groups in Pocklington, some of which already use the Community Hall. With our new competitive pricing structure, we believe that many more people can enjoy using this local facility. Once the refurbishment of the Hall is complete and updated facilities are available within Burnby Hall itself, we envision that this number will continue to grow. It would be wonderful if any local groups could plan even a small fundraising event, or come up with any other ways to support the project.