WORRIED residents have raised over ten thousand pounds to save a historic building and to stop it from being sold to housing developers.

The Corbridge Community Partnership and residents hope to send a 'very' detailed bid to the government’s Community Ownership Fund to save the former Corbridge Methodist Church.

The group has set a goal of £50,000 to try to save the building and has so far raised £11,579. They are hoping to use the grant to transform its interior into a Community Hub that offers much-needed services to all.

With the grant, the group can be awarded up to 80 per cent of both the £250,000 purchase price of the building and at least a further £250,000 for the interior works. Once the application has been submitted, a decision will be made within three months.

As part of the application, the group has to raise 20 percent—which is £100,000—themselves. So, the hope is to raise £50,000 from the Crowdfunding appeal and £50,000 from other funding sources.

The church first opened in 1865 and closed as a Methodist Church in April 2022. It has been well looked after and includes the main church area, the old schoolroom, a kitchen, and an area for the Corbridge Heritage Centre. Plus, the former ground-floor Vestry and a first-floor office. 

The group feels that without their support of turning it into a safe place for Corbridge families, or people who are vulnerable or isolated and those with dementia and their carers, it will become a housing development that will benefit a 'few people'.

Corbridge Community Partnership chairman Maurice Hodgson said:“We are hugely grateful to everyone who has donated to support this important community project to create a brilliant legacy for future Corbridge generations. It will be a financial challenge. But with the help of our local community and beyond we know those who can will step up to help us make life better for as many people as possible in both Corbridge and the surrounding area.”

For more information or to donate, please click on the link
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/corbridge-community-hub-save-a-historic-building