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How Fishermen’s Hall refurbishment in Buckie will begin next chapter of historic venue’s future

The building had been threatened with closure in council budget cuts before it was saved by the community.

Gordon Cowie standing inside Fishermen's Hall main hall with stage behind.
FIshermen's Hall trustee Gordon Cowie inside the newly refurbished main hall. Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson

Campaigners who saved Buckie’s Fishermen’s Hall from closure now want to open it up even more to the community after completing an extensive refurbishment.

There fears the doors could shut for good just five years ago as part of Moray Council budget cuts.

Volunteers banded together to save the building, which was built in 1885 as a rallying point for fishermen to discuss the industry and their welfare.

Ownership of the hall was secured nearly two years ago after the Fishermen’s Hall Trust showed it could operate it on a lease with the occupancy rate about double what it was when it was run by the council.

Now the trustees want to firmly re-establish it as a place for local celebrations and events to begin the next chapter in its future following an extensive refurbishment.

Exterior of Fishermen's Hall.
Apart from a new sign, very little has changed on the outside of the Fishermen’s Hall since its early days. Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson

What’s new inside Fishermen’s Hall refurbishment?

The Fishermen’s Hall refurbishment in Buckie has focussed on making the venue more appealing and attractive for modern functions.

Gone are the cream walls with the tired red finishes, and in their place is a sleek modern design.

An extra layer of sound proofing has also been added to minimise disruption for neighbours and, behind the scenes, the electrical wiring has been upgraded.

Interior of main hall in Fishermen's Hall.
The main hall has been completely refurbished. Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson

The latest works totalling about £10,000, funded by the SSE Beatrice fund and the charity’s own finances, come after projects last year to converting a dressing room into a meeting room for groups with the remaining dressing room being completely refurbished.

Gifford Leslie, chairman of the Fishermen’s Hall Trust, said: “It’s a lot of expense, but we want it to be a modern building that people want to use.

“The hall usage percentage is now tremendous. It’s about double what it was when the council ran it.

“The building was beautifully done initially, but it’s quite dated now. We’ve been wanting to bring it up to standard and make it more flexible.”

Community focus for next chapter of Buckie hall

The Fishermen’s Hall was packaged in the same budget cuts that led to Elgin Town Hall also being run by a community group.

While the larger Elgin venue is now flourishing with a packed programme of performers, tribute bands and events, the Buckie group is taking a different approach.

Sign advertising what Fishermen's Hall could be used for.
It is hoped the hall will be flexible enough to hold a range of events. Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson

Mr Leslie said: “It might be clearer if we could take away the word ‘hall’ and replace it with ‘community centre’, but we know there would be a huge outcry about that.

“Realistically, Elgin Town Hall can take some of these larger shows that we just wouldn’t be able to accommodate.

“And to be quite honest, if it’s going to be on in Elgin then there probably wouldn’t be the demand to have it on in Buckie too.

Fake chandelier viewed from below.
Decorative lighting hangs from the roof. Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson

“We’re aiming to make it easier for the community to use it. It’s already popular for charity events and groups, like for Ball (Be Active Life Long) and Zumba, and we have more than 100 people for our community lunches on the last Monday of the month.

“It’s taken a bit to get here, but people are starting to use it more and we wanted to modernise it to entice people to book it for weddings and other functions.”

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