Wainsgate Chapel: Haven for the arts embraces charitable new era
It’s down a little track on top of a hill in Hebden Bridge.
Wainsgate Chapel is a crumbling, old building “which doesn’t look that much from outside”, says trustee Charlie Morrissey.
However he adds: “There’s something about these old buildings which are charming. There’s just a sense of all the things that happen here.”
And happen they do – in the past few years the former Baptist chapel, which closed for services in 2001, has been brought to life with numerous events from experimental dance to tea and cake.
And all without the backing of a major institution, and powered by volunteers.
On Friday (Apr 17) singer, songwriter and broadcaster Cerys Matthews will be kicking off the Spring at Wainsgate celebrations.
Charlie, who works all over Europe as a dancer and choreographer, first clapped eyes on the upstairs room, once a Sunday school, a decade ago, and realised it would make a great space for dance.
"I tell everybody about Wainsgate and they come from here, there and everywhere. We’ve had some amazing artists, they come with their own funding, or do it because it’s a good thing.
"The growth has been exponential in terms of where we were before. We’re running quite a full arts programme, which I don’t really know of elsewhere, without any funding.” Since 2005 the the Grade II* listed building has been under the umbrella of the Historic Churches Trust, but has now transferred to the volunteer-led Wainsgate Chapel Charity.
Charlie says now they have taken over they can look at applying for funding and developing different arts programmes and urges anyone interested to come and volunteer. “Now we own it we can do things a lot more quickly, real next level things. It feels super positive. There are all these buildings round the country which are sat there and most of the time they are kept barely breathing.
"We are at a place where our income will cover our overheads plus a bit more. We want to make the building more accessible.
"We want to have a lift so people can come up to the first floor. There’s been so much enthusiasm and goodwill.
"If you talk to anybody involved they will say they love it – which is pretty nice in this day and age, when there’s so much negativity about.”
Chair of trustees Jo Cubbon said the handover created conditions for long-term growth, adding: “We have developed a model that stands apart from traditional arts institutions. Here, world-class performance, music and visual art are part of an ongoing, lived culture - not occasional events. They sit alongside shared meals, workshops and informal gatherings, all within a space that is welcoming and deeply rooted in its surroundings.”