IT’S a historic building which has found new ways of thriving in the modern world.

Run entirely by volunteers, the Victorian-built Newbrough Town Hall is a popular wedding venue, and provides accommodation for walkers and cyclists.

But the hall is governed by a committee with a combined age of over 420 years.

And the committee’s joint chairman George Shaw (78), says younger volunteers must step forward to ensure it has a viable future.

He said: “There are six of us on the committee, and we are all over the age of 70.

“The hall is booked out by regular users about 200 times a year, and of course there are one-off users.

“It needs a dedicated committee. That’s what we are, and we are determined to do our best, but we need to see the younger generation getting involved and offering their input.

“There’s a lot going on at Newbrough Town Hall and we want to see that it continues into the future.”

Like many community buildings, the town hall hosts parish council meetings, the local branch of the Women’s Institute, a carpet bowls club and a badminton club, among others.

But despite their advancing years, committee members are forward thinking when it comes to business decisions.

The elegant hall remains a long-standing wedding venue, and earlier this year, embarked on an altogether new venture.

The town hall owns the neighbouring former Mechanics Institute building, which in May began operating as a bunkhouse for visitors to the village.

It offers 11 bunk beds in four bedrooms, as well as a fully-equipped kitchen and two bathrooms, and is popular with riders taking on route 72 of Hadrian’s Cycleway.

The Mechanics Institute was established in 1849.

It originally housed the Newbrough Reading Room and Mutual Improvement Society, and was home to the WI for more than half a century.

Awarded Grade II listed status in 1985, the Mechanics Institute hit the national headlines in November last year.

It was one of just four buildings across the country to be re-listed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport for its contribution to the WI’s national heritage.

Since the turn of the Millennium, Newbrough WI has met inside the village hall and celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2013.