Fire-hit Birchencliffe hall now back in business

Nov 10 2008 by Barry Gibson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Fire-hit hall now back in business

A CHURCH hall destroyed by arsonists reopened at the weekend.

Birchencliffe Parish Hall was burned to the ground last March.

But the new £600,000 St Philip’s Community Centre was opened in its place on Saturday.

Clr Tony Woodhead attended the reopening ceremony at the Briarlyn Road site.

The Lindley Lib Dem said: “The old hall was a great asset to the community and the new centre is wonderful. I’m delighted that it’s open.”

The new centre is almost the same size as the original, which was built in 1970, and includes a stage and hall area for 200 people, with meeting rooms and better access to the kitchen and toilets.

Clr Woodhead said: “It’s a much improved hall with a much better design. In the old hall people had to pass through the main hall to get to the smaller rooms, but that’s no longer the case. “The new centre also has better heating.”