A NEW book is about to be unveiled that tells the story of how a decaying building in the centre of Dalton was transformed into a buzzing community hub.

It’s a fair bet that many Furness people will know that the old drill hall in Nelson Street was once destined for the bulldozers.

But the nuts and bolts of what actually happened to pull it back from the brink and create today’s Dalton Community Centre have not been made public – until now.

From Drill Hall to Centre for All has been written by town resident and retired teacher Ron Creer who has lived and worked in Furness for 40 years.

Mr Creer was Head of English at John Ruskin School in Coniston and later mayor of Ulverston before moving to Dalton in 2003.

His seven-chapter publication is a brilliantly-researched and richly-illustrated account of the epic struggle by a group of community activists who rescued the building.

The drill hall is among the town’s most iconic structures and records show that it was officially opened as a military mustering centre for the Territorial Army on July 17, 1928.

During the Second World War it became a key recruitment post for the British Armed Forces and when Hitler’s bombs fell on our towns and cities and the Home Guard shouldered their weapons in these quarters.

Later, in a post-war Britain, it was used by schools and a variety of other institutions.

But by 2009 it had fallen into such a poor state that its damp and echoing rooms were inhabited only by the ghosts of a bygone age, a few dozen cobwebs and a declining number of user groups.

Some of its walls were still painted a ghastly shade of pre-war green – much of it peeling – and there was even of talk of the whole thing being pulled down.

Margaret and Bob Martindale plus a small band of volunteers kept the building open by various means for a number of years.

Around that point a further group of local community activists banded together and decided it was worth saving. Their aim was to bring the building back into a functioning fit-for-purpose centre for the community. Among the prime movers was Barry Doughty.

Mr Doughty is a native of Devizes in Wiltshire who left school at 15 before joining the British Army where he became a radio telegraphist in the Royal Corps of Signals.

He served his country for 15 years with deployments around the world and in 1975 he was a member of the Joint Services West-to-East Sahara Expedition – a squad that made the first crossing of the desert at its widest point. He was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal Geographical Society for his endeavours.

Mr Doughty went on to forge a career as a professional youth and community worker, later becoming senior lecturer in youth and community work at the University of Wales. After retirement he settled in Dalton with his wife Eileen before being elected as a district and county councillor.

One of their sons, Stephen, is the Labour MP for Cardiff South and Penarth. Their other son, Christopher, is an environmental scientist based in Vancouver, British Columbia.

In the book Angela Knowles, then a county council rural projects officer, describes the shocking sight when she walked through its doors in 2009: “The building had been subject to some poor quality renovations but had largely not been touched since 1929 and it was providing a very poor environment for user groups.

“Even health and safety and fire regulations were unsatisfactory and some asbestos was found over the entrance hall.”

She and Mr Doughty weighed up what was needed to put things right. The list was long and many would have turned on their heels and fled.

In 2012 Mrs Knowles and Mr Doughty managed to secure the building from owners Cumbria County Council as a community asset transfer. The building now belongs to the people of Dalton and a recent valuation estimates its worth at £375,000.

After some soul-searching Mr Doughty decided to grasp the nettle. He started by banging on doors in Dalton and getting on the phone to people he hoped would help.

Among the first to agree was later-to-be Conservative councillor Martin McLeavy, a shipyard project manager and local Rotarian who made a big contribution, as did Ian Maddox and Ann Thurlow, a town councillor.The result of their work is today’s Dalton Community Centre which contains a number of well-designed suites, among them a cinema room, library, computer area, kitchen - and a main hall that is used by a host of local organisations.

Some £750,000 has been raised over 12 years. This has been achieved through sponsorship, grants and donations from hundreds of sources. Along the way and in 2018 the 14 trustees of the Dalton Community Association and other volunteers were awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary service – the highest award of it’s kind that is bestowed in the UK.

A book launch was scheduled for April 30, but coronavirus situation has caused this to be cancelled.

In a letter to stakeholders Mr Doughty writes: “Sadly, because of coronavirus the launch event on April 30 has had to be cancelled. Therefore, this letter and your copy of the book which you would have been presented with at the event, has been sent to you. This project came about through the generosity and encouragement of the Heritage Lottery Fund.

“I would like to thank Ron Creer for writing and putting this book together. I would also like to thank Janice Benson, Shaun Blezard, Ann Thurlow and Ian Maddox who acted in an advisory capacity.

“We have created a website. Please visit the website for more information and if you wish to contribute. I have also included a presentation outlining the work that has been carried out over the past 12 years at the community centre.

“As soon as we are back to normal, we should have a small drama sequence on the website performed by the pupils of Dowdales School. They were going to perform at the launch event.

“As this will now not be happening, we will put the performance on the website for you to enjoy at your leisure.

“This project as part of the overall refurbishment and development of the centre has depended upon many willing volunteers and local professionals giving and assisting with advice and practical help.”

Mr Doughty would like to thank all the contributors to the book. In particular he wants to thank Mrs Bette Parkin who was a little girl housed upstairs in the building during the war years. Her father was regimental sergeant major a the centre before heading off to fight.

Mrs Parkin has spoken warmly of her responsibility to raise and lower the Union Flag every day during the conflict.

Copies of the book – priced £3 – are available from the association, or by calling 01229 463929.