Townstal Hall
Steve explained: ‘it was headed by
Steve Smith, the lifeblood of Townstal Community Hall.
T
ownstal’s thriving community hall has gone from strength to strength since it opened in 2004, with events taking place in the buzzing centre nearly every night of
the week.
Credit for the hall’s flourishing success is due to the small band of volunteers who freely give their time and effort to ensure the estate maintains its much-needed vibrant neighbourly heart. Spearheading the group is its
george Jones, Mrs Pearce, Ken tucker and my father, george, who was treasurer. For years and years they battled on trying to get a community centre but they never really achieved it. ‘the project was resurrected in the late 1990s but it didn’t really take off until brian boughton, who was then our district councillor, came into it. ‘He rallied everybody together and if it wasn’t for him and small bands of volunteers we would not have the hall. it was brian
chairman, Steve Smith, who is dedicated to serving the 2,500- strong community at the top of town. Steve devotes 10-hours of his precious time to the community hall each week, helping to run the regular Saturday night youth clubs and the popular wednesday night drop-in sessions. the busy 59-year-old husband and father of six boys also holds down a full-time job as Sodexo mess manager at britannia royal naval College, has been a Dartmouth town Councillor for the past five years, is vice-chairman of townstal Community Partnership, and a committee member for Dartmouth Food bank, Dartmouth and District Sports Association and Dartmouth Outdoor Pool group. An avuncular character, Steve has an exhaustive timetable but he loves being in the thick of things. ‘i love the community bit, i like to be in a position where i’m doing things for other people,’ he said. ‘i’m very much a people person.’ Steve was destined to be involved in townstal Community
“Credit for the hall’s flourishing success is due to the small band of volunteers who freely give their time and effort to ensure the estate maintains its much-needed vibrant neighbourly heart.”
who went out and managed to get the funding and this place was opened. ‘i got elected to Dartmouth town Council in 2007 and when they asked for a volunteer to represent the council on the community hall i foolishly volunteered’, Steve laughed. ‘within a year the chairman decided to stand down and they said would i take up the chairmanship. that was in 2008 and i’ve been chairman ever since and i love it.’ Part funded by the lottery; Devon, South Hams and Dartmouth councils’
Hall. born in Malta where his father served in the royal navy, he returned to the UK in 1954 when his family settled in Plymouth. the family moved to townstal when Steve was seven and his father, george Smith, was co-opted onto the former townstal Community Association.
and private donations, the £750,000 purpose built community hall in ivatt road was opened in October 30 2004 and consists of a large hall and meeting room, a generous and well-equipped kitchen, disabled facilities and storage space. As well as being a base for townstal Community Partnership, a multi-agency voluntary group which holds regular public meetings involving the local police, fire service, housing associations and medical practice, and runs weekly hub sessions offering free legal advice and a work club; the hall is also used by several local clubs and groups. there are weekly classes in dance and performing arts, taekwondo and martial arts and a memory clinic run by Dartmouth Caring. Saturday nights are reserved for the two youth clubs and the hall is also used by the town’s arts society, flower club, wi and Food bank, Steve said, adding: ‘it’s buzzing virtually every night. ‘we get regular bookings for private parties too – we’ve had the occasional wedding reception, a christening and even a funeral wake. ‘i’m very, very proud of this place which i have inherited from other people who have put a lot of hours of hard work into it. we are all just doing our bit to make it more community minded up here. ‘People didn’t meet here before the hall, they just went down
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