History and management

Management

The Blue Lights Hall is a registered charity (No 300745). It is run by a Committee of Trustees, who are elected annually at an Annual General Meeting. 

Contact details are as follows:

Chairman :  Ann Scambler, 01237 477627    

Secretary :  Wendy Butcher,  07876 700317

Treasurer:  Stephen Taylor  07773 782685 

Bookings Officer :  Ann Scambler,  01237 477627 

Maintenance Officer:  Richard Back,  01237 476965 

Committee Member,  Sue Gibbs 07720 242847 

Committee Member,  Gill Newbold 07545 777354 

Committee Member, Barry Edwards  07774 628877

Committee Member, Rob Gibbs  07775 992364

Committee Member, Mike Deaton 07823 486365

General emails:  blhsecretary@gmail.com  or blhtreasurer83@gmail.com  or  blhbookings@gmail.com 

Blue Lights Hall History

The Hall was built in the 1860s as a chapel for the Plymouth Brethren. Because this was a time before street lighting the Brethren set out lamps in the Hall windows to guide folk to the chapel during the hours of darkness. The story goes that these lights were red in colour so the building acquired the informal name of Red Lights. Understandably this did not suit such a strict sect as the Brethren, who changed the lights to blue, and thus the building became known as the Blue Lights Hall. (There is very little actual evidence to support this story!)

The Chapel fell into disuse and in 1922 it was sold at auction to William Anderson, of nearby Wooda Farm. It was used for a variety of purposes, as a meeting place for local organisations such as the Girl Guides and the Boys Brigade, and later as a storehouse for a local grocery business. William Anderson died in 1959 and left the Hall "for the benefit of the people of Appledore". 

A charity was established in 1962 to run the Hall, which it still continues to do. The title of the Hall is held by the local authority. In the 1970s the adjacent cottage was purchased and added. The Cottage section now houses the toilets, kitchen and storage facilities of the Hall.

In 2011 the Management Committee decided to undertake a major renovation project for the Hall. There had been a significant deterioration in the structure of the floor, the heating system was poor and access and facilities for  the disabled were much below current standards. Extensive renovation work was completed in May 2012.

In mid-2014 sufficient additional funds were raised to undertake an extensive uplift of the kitchen and upstairs areas.  In 2017 an air conditioning unit was added.

We would be very interested to hear from anybody who can expand the history of the Hall.