Volunteers needed to keep Halkirk heritage centre motoring on
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New volunteers are needed to help drive forward Halkirk Heritage and Vintage Motor Centre after its successful first two years.
The centre in the old village school in Sinclair Street is now open for 2024, having attracted 1057 visitors in its first season and 1509 last year.
It is a showcase for gleaming vehicles from yesteryear while also having a strong focus on other aspects of local history. This year’s main exhibition has the theme Life on the Land, while there is also a mini-exhibition about childhood.
Speaking at a season preview evening on Friday, Chris Eyre, the outgoing chairman of Halkirk Heritage and Vintage Motor Society, said: “It was August 2021 that I took over. I had rather ambitiously said that we'd be open by the following Easter. We were... just!
“It has been a very challenging winter. We've had new windows put in to the building because the old ones were rotten and falling apart.
“We had some storm damage where we had a skylight blow out, so we had to have that replaced. We've had roller shutter doors put in to keep the heat in.
"So it has been a full-on winter, plus other bits and pieces and jobs we've done around the building. We've utilised a lot of the wall space.
"It's not 100 per cent yet but we're getting there.”
The display areas are refreshed each year to create new points of interest for visitors. The 15 vintage and classic vehicles on show this year include six that have been changed since the 2023 season.
Mr Eyre said: "To get local people coming back again and again and again, you've got to do something different because otherwise they'll say it's the same as last year and not worth going, which would be a shame.
“We've put a lot of hard work into the centre over the last three years and it would be a shame to let it go, to be honest.
“In the first year we had just over 1000 visitors and last year it was just over 1500. Obviously we aren't open all the time. On the days we're open, getting 1500 visitors, I'm happy with that.
"More volunteers would be great for the centre. We need people to carry on from what we've started.
“I'm in my mid-seventies, most of the members are retirement age. I realise how difficult it is for younger people to juggle their life and their work – there are so many demands on their spare time. But we would welcome people to come on board with some new ideas to carry it forward."
Mr Eyre will be standing down as chairman at the annual general meeting on Thursday, April 18, at 7pm in the village’s Ross Institute.
"It's not just me – everybody does their bit,” he emphasised.
Opening times are 2-4pm on Tuesday and Sunday from April to October, and also on Saturday from June to September. Group visits can be arranged.
Members of the public can check Facebook or the centre's website, www.halkirkheritage.org.uk
The society can also be contacted by email at halkirkheritage@btinternet.com and the phone number is 01847 839101.
Admission is free, with donations welcome.
