THE community has a chance to help restore historic Stretford Public Hall to its former glory.

Residents are being urged to back a major new initiative that has been launched to fund the renovation of the Victorian building.

Friends of Stretford Public Hall, the community enterprise which owns and runs the hall, is to launch a community share offer in a bid to raise £150,000 to bring the main hall back into use.

This major fundraising scheme is the next step to securing a viable future for the hall, after it was taken on by the community following its closure in 2014.

The community share offer will allow the public to become members and co-owners of the building through an investment in the democratically run organisation. It will also help secure further funding through a commitment from the charitable fund Power to Change to match the first £100,000 raised by the community.

The overall investment sought from the community is £150,000, which along with the Power to Change funding, will allow the next key phase of refurbishment works, transforming the ballroom so it can host events accommodating up to 400 people.

The hall was built in 1878 by John Rylands for the people of Stretford. In the past it has been used for social events, as the civic theatre and most recently as council offices. However, the hall in its current state cannot be used for cultural or community events.

While the share offer will be targeted at residents, anyone with an interest in the iconic building will be able to invest. The minimum investment will be set at £100, with investors having the option of paying in four monthly instalments of £25.

Annoushka Deighton, chairman of Friends of Stretford Public Hall, said: “Having worked so hard to bring the Hall into community ownership, it is critical we can transform the building into a vibrant multi-purpose venue. We are looking to the community to help make this possible through their investment and crucially their participation as members of our democratic organisation.”

Community share offers have been used to finance a wide range of community enterprises in Manchester, such as FC United who raised more than £2m in 2015 to fund a new stadium.

People can pledge their investment now at www.stretfordpublichall.org.uk ahead of the share offer launching on February 4.