Sound hall looking for new members to avert possible closure

THE COMMITTEE of a public hall in Lerwick is seeking fresh blood to avert a “crisis” that could see it forced to close its doors.

Sound Hall’s chairwoman Ellen Anderson has published a letter outlining that the impending resignations of four committee members will leave the remaining members facing an “impossible task” to keep the hall going.

The Sound Community Association, which was established in the early 1970s, is due to meet for its AGM at 7pm on Thursday 28 October to discuss a way forward.

Anderson says the volunteer committee has done “a lot of good, be that quietly or in a well-publicised manner” over the years including staging fundraising events for local charities.

“The hall opens its hypothetical arms to provide a space for friendship, community, learning, health and wellbeing, fun and milestone events in family lives,” Anderson’s letter reads.

“It would be a sad day if Sound Hall was no longer able to function to provide such a space.”

While “everyone dreads being asked to join a committee”, she said the task becomes more manageable if there are enough people committed.

Prospective committee members are only being asked to commit around an hour for an evening meeting once a month and would not be expected to work behind the bar for functions, Anderson emphasises.

“There is no expectation to achieve the impossible, the most that will happen is that everyone leaves the meeting to seek out information, get quotes for work to be done or think about fundraising (for charity), to name but a few.”

Anderson’s letter concludes: “The feeling of the committee is that if new members cannot be found then the hall will have to close its doors after the AGM in October meaning that anyone with a booking for the hall after this would unfortunately have to look for a new venue – hopefully this will not happen.”