A GROUP which supports those affected by cancer has returned to face-to-face meetings. Members of the Living Tree have not been able to host face-to-face gatherings inside since the start of the Covid pandemic in March 2020. The group s trustees opened a new allotment in March of this year to allow members to interact in person whilst doing some gardening. However, outside of the allotment, the group has only been able to offer Zoom meetings. The group is now meeting every Friday at St Mary’s Church House Hall, South Street, from 2pm to 4pm, with fortnightly yoga from 3pm to 4pm in the Friends Meeting House. Those attending yoga will need to bring their own mat.
The Crowdfunder campaign to save St Mary s Church House Hall reached its fundraising target this week. The campaign was launched in March in an attempt to recover some of the losses recorded by the church hall as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. St Mary s Church House Hall, located next to St Mary s Church on South Street, Bridport has seen a 70 per cent drop in hire income and a 40 per cent drop in reserves over the past year. Prior to the pandemic, the hall tended to be busy and thriving, hosting regular activities including yoga, slimming, bingo, music, dance, antiques fairs and more. As a result of Covid and the tightened restrictions, the hall was closed for a total of 235 days in 2020 and for the first three months of 2021.
DONATIONS to save a community hub in Bridport have slowed a bit after a flying start. The campaign to raise funds for St Mary s Church House Hall following a difficult financial year due to the pandemic has seen donations stall in recent weeks. The campaign raised more than £1,200 in its first week - 10 per cent of its £10,000 target - but has only managed to raise around £1,000 more in the month since. Hall chairman Monty Crook said: Donations have slowed a bit - as is usual in such ventures - but we have now exceeded £2,680 in total towards our ambitious target of £10,000.