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Damage to changing rooms

For more than 40 years, a community centre on the outskirts of Wolverhampton has provided a home for sports teams and social centre for the surrounding area.

But Hilton Hall in Lanesfield has fallen into a pretty bad state, and the city council has decided to close it because it's deteriorated so much.

There was a fire which wrecked the sports changing rooms three years ago, and the centre has essentially been condemned. Not everyone, though, is going to let the community centre become a thing of the past.

Richard Lord, from the Wolverhampton Warlords rugby league club which plays its home matches at the community centre, says it's been a major loss to the area: 

Further damage

"We still use the pitch but the hall was closed in November.  The building's in a bad state and needs a lot of work doing to it, and it's been left to get worse.

"We're the only rugby league team in Wolverhampton, and we have to get changed before we turn up.  And players for the away team can't have a shower before their trip home!"

Richard has got together with a judo club, which uses the centre, and other organisations, to try and save the hall. 

"We want to take it over, renovate it ourselves, and then run it.  The council have been helpful, but money is tight at the moment.  The whole of the bottom area needs work, and we've got to do the electrics and plumbing.  It's a big job."

Broken doors inside

The Hilton Hall Community Association have launched a "Buy a Brick" campaign as its raises funds to save the hall, and then make it available to the community again. 

The cost could be as high as £250,000 so it's now looking at whether grants are available to provide a new heart to Lanesfield.

To read more about the campaign, and see more photos, click the link below: