A new future is being sought for Ballafesson Hall after members of Ballafesson Chapel voted to stop meeting, bringing an end to the chapel's role as a place of worship.

Community members are now being encouraged to support plans to retain the hall as a community facility, with a one-year period granted to determine whether the building can continue serving local residents.

If sufficient support cannot be secured during that time, the hall will be sold on the open market.

To help shape the hall's future, a new group known as the Friends of Ballafesson Community has been established to oversee its use and develop a programme of community events.

The group hopes regular activities and strong public backing will demonstrate the value of keeping the hall available for community use.

Members have also stressed that charges for activities at the hall will need to increase modestly, as the Methodist Church is no longer involved in its management or subsidising running costs.

A spokesperson for the Friends said: ‘There are now hire costs and insurance which will need to be paid by the Friends, but we will endeavour to ensure the charges are as reasonable as possible.

‘We envisage holding soup lunches and a few evening events over the coming months while the future of the hall is decided, which will help keep activities affordable.’

The group also hopes to continue supporting the food bank through autumn coffee mornings and soup lunches, while other ideas under consideration include a jumble sale for the community library and a musical evening.

Residents are also being invited to suggest activities that would benefit the community while helping to cover the hall's running costs.

Anyone interested in hiring the hall can contact Pat Harper on 436075 or Maureen Dadd on 431210.