Petition created to save parish hall in Eastbourne following its ‘sudden closure for safety reasons’

The Meads Parish Hall had closed on Friday, November 24 due to a gas leak, forcing the Santa’s Grotto at the Meads Magic Christmas event to close for health and safety reasons.

Following the announcement, the parish hall has closed for the winter, cancelling all events and hiring in the run up to Christmas.

After its closure, a petition has been set up to help ‘save the parish hall’ to have it reopened as soon as possible.

Mitch Peacock, the fundraiser’s creator said: “The Parish Hall has suddenly been closed for safety reasons and all events and hiring in the run up to Christmas have been cancelled.

“During this year a working group, under the auspices of the Meads Community Association, has been doing due diligence and having discussions with the church authorities to take over the building and restore it to modern-day standards. The detailed work on this project has revealed that parts of the hall need immediate safety work and shorter-term remedial work, as well as longer-term investment - all of which is achievable.

“The future of the hall is at serious risk without intervention, which is why we need your support to reopen it as soon as possible. If closed over the winter, it will be left empty and unheated, and will deteriorate further, possibly to the extent that it will be permanently closed.

The petition, as of writing, has over 650 signatures to its name and Mitch is hoping that signing it will help preserve the hall for community use.

Mitch continued: “The hall is the centre of the local community, it has good access, with public transport nearby and is regularly used by local community groups with a wide range of activities. Envisioned improvements will make it the 'go-to' venue for even more.

“Closure, for other than a short term, will mean local groups who regularly use the hall will be forced to find alternative venues, which will impact finances at such a critical time.

"Please sign to show your support for the preservation and running of this well-known and much-loved community space by a community-led group to form a Meads Community Centre.”