HAVING joined Hexham Community Partnership at a time of great change, Marion Schooler has certainly got her work cut out for her.

For the new manager has a broad and rather open-ended job spec that includes securing the partnership’s financial future, establishing a new and hopefully permanent base for her team, and overseeing the transfer of operations currently at No 28, in the east end of the town, to the nearby Gatehouse.

“There is such a state of flux at the moment in terms of what local authorities and public sector bodies are doing and able to do, and in Hexham, what the town council can do,” she said. “And it’s not just about the fundraising, because everything is very much up in the air – we’re facing a lot of challenges!

“But what is the role of the partnership and how can we add value? That’s what’s exciting, because there are a lot of possibilities.

“I want to begin by looking creatively at who we work with, and how.”

Appointed as a replacement for Tamsin Beevor, who is now concentrating on running the Forum Cinema, Marion’s primary task is cementing the partnership’s funding. While it owns the cinema and receives a percentage of its takings, and historically it has received a generous annual grant from Hexham Town Council, Marion is not counting her chickens before they’ve hatched.

“The council has always been very supportive of the work Hexham Community Partnership does,” she said, “and the grant has usually covered core costs, but everyone is having to cut their cloth to fit nowadays. They don’t know how they will be fixed after next April.”

The hunt is on for a permanent base, and moving into a premises – such as Hadrian House – that could be shared with the town council and the Hexham Business Improvement District team is possibile.

Marion hails from a background in business development, focusing on community consultation. “I have a 100 per cent record for getting the grants, which is what Hexham Community Partnership was interested in, but having said that, I’ve now probably set myself up for a fall!,” she laughed.

Marion lives in Shotley Field, on a small-holding between Stocksfield and Shotley Bridge which she, her brother and their family work between them.