There was much celebration in the Strath when the new Halladale Hall was officially opened by local Highland Councillor, Linda Munro.
About five years ago, it was recognised that the old public hall (a second hand ex-army building put up in 1922) was coming to the end of its days.
There was some debate over whether to restore it.
However when it became clear that the former Church of Scotland Mission Building – just 100 yards away – was likely to be disposed of, it was decided that the answer would be to convert it into a new hall.
The Mission House was built over 100 years ago, was owned by the congregation through a panel of trustees and latterly managed by the Church of Scotland.
A new community group and committee, under the chairmanship of Myrtle Gillies, was formed around 2006, who could access grants and, through a long drawn-out process, the building was eventually leased to the Halladale Hall and Amenities Committee for 125 years.
The new committee put in a tremendous amount of work to succeed with the project and funding was received from Halladale Grazing Committee, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Highland Council, LEADER, TSB, Albyn Housing, the Robertson Trust, and Awards for All.
Representatives from these various groups were invited along to the opening to see the results of their funding and were treated to a sumptuous buffet provided by the ladies of the Strath.
The community now have a tremendous historic building which is fit for purpose for the next 100 years.
