THE donor whose £350,000 pledge has helped secure the future of Thornbury’s Armstrong Hall complex has told the Voice why she decided to support the project.
Maggie Lansdown and husband Steve, the billionaire owner of Bristol City and Bristol Bears rugby club, offered the money as the Armstrong Hall Trust, which owns the site on behalf of the town, was deciding on its future.
Maggie said it was her mother Betty Brock’s experience of attending the Armstrong Hall and Cossham Hall for local events which showed her the value of the venues to the community.
The Armstrong Hall Trust opted to refurbish the site and reopen it, rather than selling it off and relocating to Turnberrie’s Community Centre, at the end of July.
Trust chair James Murray acknowledged the Lansdowns’ “generous donation” to help facilitate the first phase of the refurbishment work when announcing the decision.
Maggie and Steve, who is the co-founder of financial services firm Hargreaves Lansdown, have links to the area, having both attended the then Thornbury Grammar School in their teens.
Maggie was in her final school year when the grammar school, which her father had also attended, moved from Gloucester Road to Alveston and became Marlwood School.
Halls a ‘vital amenity’
Although Maggie and Steve, who moved to Guernsey in 2010 after 35 years in Bristol, have not lived in Thornbury, Maggie’s mum lived at the Tanners Court retirement complex in Midland Way for 20 years after moving there from Rudgeway.
Maggie said: “The Armstrong and Cossham Halls were a vital amenity for my Mum.
“She went every week for many years to the WI market which used to be held there.
“She and many of the residents of Tanners Court relied on the halls for the shows, pantos and other events.
“Once you are a little older it is less tempting to travel great distances, especially for evening events, so places like Bristol or Bath were rarely considered.
“Mum also did not drive, so all the more reason to support local events.”
Maggie visited her mum regularly in Thornbury before she passed away during the pandemic.
Betty was friends with the mother of Jill Dimond, a member of Thornbury Musical Theatre Group who campaigned to reopen the Armstrong Hall after its closure on 2020 as part of the Armstrong Hall Action Alliance.
‘Keen to support’ redevelopment
Jill was a member of the working group looking at the refurbishment option for the Armstrong Hall Trust, and had been in touch with Maggie about the challenges facing the complex.
Maggie said: “I was approached initially, quite a while ago, by Jill, about the plight of the Halls and made it clear I was keen to support, but needed to see some sort of business plan and overall plan for the redevelopment.
“It has taken until now for that to happen.”
The estimated cost of the opening phases of the refurbishment, involving the reopening of the Cossham Hall and foyer area during the first year, followed by the Armstrong Hall in the second year, is equal to the £350,000 the Lansdowns have pledged.
‘Options being considered’ for further funding
The entire scheme could cost anywhere between £795,000 and £3.5 million, depending on the extent of the work carried out in the later stages.
In her email to the trust working group looking at the refurbishment scheme Maggie indicated that she and Steve might make further money available in the future if the initial scheme is a success – but this will depend on how much local support there is for the reopened venues.
Maggie said: “I have spoken to Jill about any future funding, and options are being considered.
“Any future funding will depend on the local appetite to support the amenity, which will be assessed once the initial renovations have taken place and the halls are reopened.”