The Hall
The Gaskell Hall was opened in 1931 and is named after Elizabeth Gaskell, the novelist who regularly stayed in the village. The hall was originally designed with the local amateur dramatics society, the Silverdale Village Players in mind. The Village Players continue to put on 2-3 productions a year including a Christmas Pantomime.
The Charity
The Gaskell Hall is owned and managed by a charity, the Gaskell Memorial Village Hall, Silverdale (Charity number 225842) which aims to promote physical ,mental, recreation, social, moral and intellectual development by encouraging lectures, classes, sports, recreations and entertainments or otherwise for the benefit of the inhabitants of Silverdale and its immediate vicinity without distinction of sex, race and age or of political, religious or other opinions.
The Charity Trustees
There are two categories of trustees, representatives of local organisations and elected trustees.
Organisation Representative Trustees:
- The Village Players – Jim Ferguson, Dawn Sharples, Barbara Heywood
- Silverdale W.I. – Polly Broadhurst
- Silverdale Cricket Club – Michael Moon (Chair)
- Silverdale Art Group – Keith Reed
- Silverdale Institute – Andrew Clay
- Silverdale Horticultural & Gardening Society – Frank Cranmer
- Silverdale Bowling Club – Alastair Cairns (Bookings Secretary)
- Silverdale Golf Club – Vacant
Elected Trustees:
- David Beaton
- Jane Curzon (Secretary)
- Lynn Humphrey (Treasurer)
- Steph Knowles
- John Lister
- John Pritchard
Co-opted committee members:
- None
Volunteer Vacancies
Currently we are looking for:
- Trustees – be part of our management committee and to help move the hall forward to its 100th year.
Trustee Roles and Responsibilities
Charity trustees are the people who share ultimate responsibility for governing a charity.
Their main duties are to:
- ensure the charity is carrying out its purposes for the public benefit.
- comply with the charity’s governing document and the law.
- act in the charity’s best interests.
- ensure the charity is accountable.
- manage the charity’s resources responsibly.
- act with reasonable care and skill.
This involves attending meetings and making decisions within those meetings. Gaskell Hall trustees are also expected to assist in some fundraising ventures and make an active contribution to the running of the hall.
To be a trustee you must be over 18 years of age. Some people are disqualified from being charity trustees because of reasons including bankruptcy, being on the Sex Offenders’ Register or having an unspent criminal conviction.
More details about the role of charity trustees and reasons for disqualification can be found on the Charity Commission Website.
Committee roles
In addition to general trustee responsibilities, some trustees have specific roles on the committee. These positions are usually held for a period of 3-4 years.
Vacancies for Trustees with Specified Duties:
We currently have a vacancy for an Events Promoter responsible for:
- initiating and organising fundraising events at the Hall.
- actively promoting Gaskell Hall events and activities to the local community through all media formats.
Volunteer Now
For further information about trustee roles and responsibilities, please email secretary@gaskellhall.org.uk