The Queens Hall is a key civic space and community facility set in a prominent and scenic location. The building has been adapted to accommodate a gym facility in the last few years, putting additional pressure on available space. The library, which was located on the first floor, along with study areas and children’s library, has recently been relocated to the lower floor, freeing up a larger space for commercial use, but reducing essential meeting and study space that was valued by the community, particularly young people and people with limited access to IT.
The building hosts Dunoon’s largest performance space, along with a soft play area, cafe and office spaces. The Queen’s Hall was renovated and reopened in 2018 and is operated by the charity Live Argyll. Live Argyll has a remit for culture, leisure, community education and youth services and has experienced significant funding cuts in recent years, leading to a reduction in services.
These reductions and changes impact on how the Queen’s Hall operates and the ability of the organisation to respond to community needs.
It is essential that more revenue streams and funding options are found to sustain and improve services from the Queen’s Hall and that partnerships are developed to ensure that the hall remains well used.
Community Action Plan
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Live Argyll to work with key local stakeholders including Argyll and Bute Council, the Dunoon BID, Dunoon Community Develpment Trust, Public Health providers, Active Schools, and CHARTS to explore wider funding and partnership opportunities to bring income into the Queen’s Hall through events.
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Work towards coordinating local events that utilise the Queen’s Hall and generate revenue that can be directly invested into the retention of core cultural and health services, including the library, community learning and youth services.