A VILLAGE hall needs new helpers in order to survive, according to one of the small group of volunteers who built it by hand more than 25 years ago.

David Fone, of Templand Park, Allithwaite, helped his father Norman, and four other men, to construct the village community centre from scratch in 1982.

Working every Sunday the team, helped by other mem-bers of the community, took six years to complete the structure.

The hall has long been the centre of the community, hosting many popular events.

Mr Fone said the centre was ‘plodding along’ and breaking even thanks to hire fees and fundraising events like the autumn show.

However, he said its future was uncertain because the number of second homes in the area had greatly red-uced its user base.

“At the moment it is really struggling,” he said. “Com-munity members are get-ting older and villages in the area have changed.

“Around 65per cent of homes are holiday houses in Allithwaite,” said Mr Fone.

“It’s frustrating that so much effort has gone into this place in the past. It just needs enthusiastic people to come forward.

“People have worked very hard for the facilities.

“It’s time to get people with time on their hands to refresh the organisation and take it forward for another 25 years,” he added.

Mr Fone remembered the buzz in the village when the centre was being built, with odd bits of wood and chem-ical drums providing the makeshift scaffolding.

“Talk about health and safety nowadays – they would have had a fit! But that is how we did it back then.

“It was a really exciting time because it was the centre of the community,” said the 35-year-old.

Saddened by the slow decline of the hall, which won a prestigious Village Venture regeneration award when it was built, Mr Fone said he was keen to hear from people who want to get involved in its upkeep.

“It’s a question of what people want from the hall.”

Contact Mr Fone by emailing cooldave@live.co.uk