Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Scenic Moray hall was just days from bankruptcy

The
The

A picturesque Moray performance centre has launched a fundraising crusade following revelations it was just days from bankruptcy last year.

Universal Hall, which is nestled among woodland at the Findhorn Foundation peace retreat, may have to give up its role as an entertainment venue.

The hall was built across a decade between 1974 and 1984, and is a popular location for theatre, music, dance, comedy and film events.

It has survived on grants received by arts agency Creative Scotland across recent years.

But changes to the national funding system have left organisers struggling to make ends meet.

Yesterday, Universal Hall management revealed that in November it was “ten days away from becoming insolvent”.

And a campaign has now been launched to ensure it can continue to host the shows it has become known for.

Publicity officer, Dave Till, encouraged fans of the unique landmark to join a “supporters scheme” aimed at ensuring its future.

Mr Till said: “Creative Scotland requires us to demonstrate that we have other income streams, in addition to the grant and our box office takings, so a supporters scheme has been created.

“We are only seeking contributions from those who can afford this, and value having us here as a venue for the arts.

“If we were not here as a venue, next time people in Moray wanted to see a play or a music performance like the Scottish Chamber Orchestra they would have to travel to Aberdeen or Inverness.

“There is no doubt that Universal Hall is the major touring venue in Moray.”

Red tape surrounding the funding process brought the hall to the brink last year, organisers claim.

Mr Till said: “The grant is offered annually and can’t be carried over to the next financial year.

“This means that if we are asked to re-apply, we have no reserves to support us during the re-application process.

“As a result, last November we came within 10 days of becoming financially insolvent.”

Mr Till added that it was “understandable” that Moray Council had stopped its financial support of the venue.

He said: “They are starved of cash and it’s understandable that they will prioritise vital public services.”

Information on how to back the venture is available at www.universalhall.co.uk/supporters