Fr. Gerry Mulvihill

St Thomas More Hall closed as a Social Club in September 2011. A Project Manager has now been appointed to evaluate proposals for the future of the hall and make recommendations to the Trustees. Any proposals should be accompanied by a business plan and sent, without delay, to Jonathan Palmer, email [email protected]

Closure of St Thomas More Hall Soon after coming to St Thomas More Parish in February this year, I asked a bookkeeper here in the parish to look over the books of St Thomas More Club. I had been visiting advertised events at the Club and could see that attendances were small. The review of the books showed that the Club has been running at a loss for at least three years. It would be irresponsible to continue operating a club which is making a loss. What would happen to creditors if or when a club went bust? So while there is still a small sum in the Hall account I took the unavoidable decision to close the Club and use remaining funds to secure and maintain the building while considering, in conjunction with diocesan officials, the future of St Thomas More Hall. For many years Southwark Irish Cultural Association has managed the cultural events and classes that have taken place at St Thomas More Hall. I have been in touch throughout with the leadership of the Association and they fully understand the position of the hall and are fully supportive of the action I have had to take. I am sorry for the inconvenience caused to user groups of the hall who have had to find a suitable alternative space at short notice over the summer period. For the record, no decision has been made as to the future of the Hall and no agreement has been entered into with anyone. It has been suggested that a nursery would be an appropriate use which would be of service to the local community. Are there other uses people would like to see considered? If you would like to see a nursery there, what kind of nursery? Do let me know. Any proposed use would need to have a sound business case, though not necessarily for profit, and would have to have a proper management structure representing good business practice and local community interests. As an immediate step I plan to have a feasibility study done by a professional such as an architect firstly on the condition of the building but also on possible community uses. I guess everyone would agree that the demographics of East Dulwich have changed greatly since the St Thomas More Club was set up forty years ago and I consider that a review of the usage of the Hall is timely. The building is a large old Victorian school and I suspect, may require some investment to bring it up to standard for any new usage. I can well understand that the closure of St Thomas More Club is a matter of regret and sadness for those who remember it in its heyday. But times have changed and we now have an opportunity to assess appropriate and viable uses of the premises for the benefit of our local community. I welcome ideas and suggestions through this forum. Sincerely, Father Gerry Mulvihill