Nearly 10 years ago, we heard that it was possible that the village was going to lose an important building at the heart of our community. Due to cutbacks, this council owned building, that housed our library and playgroup, was earmarked for closure.
A small action group was formed and approached the council to explore different options – one of which was to take over the location under a community asset transfer.
Shap Community CIO – a non-for-profit organisation was formed and, with a great amount of help from the local council, advice from other charities and lots of hard work by a small team of dedicated individuals – The Old Courthouse was transferred into local community ownership and is now a Community Centre providing a thriving venue for arts, music, exhibitions and events – as well as maintaining a Library Link run by Westmorland and Furness Council, a busy Playgroup and a warm meeting space used by social groups in the village.
Recently, Westmorland and Furness Council were looking for an example of a success story to highlight the benefits of asset transfers – and we were delighted to have been chosen!
W&FC say, “The Old Courthouse in Shap is an excellent example of a successful Community Asset Transfer (CAT) arrangement, which has been operating for over 10 years. “
Watch the video below and see how it all came about.
For more information on Community Asset Transfers – click here