The Old Rectory is a historic Grade II* listed building in the heart of Houghton-le-Spring surrounded by Rectrory Park. We founded a charity to take on the building in 2017 and, with your help, want to transform it as not just a space IN the community but also as a space FOR the community. We have already raised over £55,000 to rebuild the chimney stacks and downpipes so we are well on the way. We now need money and volunteers to help us transform the Council Chamber by refurbishing the tables and chairs as a community project. This will then let us open the room up for trainings, debates, lectures, gigs, concerts and events which we hope you will be part of. and which will enable us to grow our community activities. To help us in our funding journey, we need to raise £9695 and find at least 20 people who would like to take part in a community re-upholstery project.

What we'll deliver:

• 55 chairs from the 1950s re-upholstered by people in the community
• Large tables in the Council Chamber expertly split into smaller sections so they can be used more flexibly
• If overfunded, other work to help us transform the building for the community

Why it's a great idea:

This beautiful, iconic Grade 2* listed building, and rectory park in which it sits, is being used by more people every year. Yet, it's still a building that's IN the community and not living up to its potential to be FOR the community. Acumen Community Buildings is a charity that is aiming for The Old Rectory to achieve its potential and be able to make a real difference in the lives of people in the local community. We just need a little financial support so we can involve local people in restoring the Council Chamber that was used by Houghton-le-Spring Urban District Council, an important part of the history of our area.

Steps to get it done:

• First training session on upholstery
• First ten chairs completed
• All chairs completed