NRTF
20 Mar 2025
It’s Village Halls Week 2025 and National Rural Touring Forum is shining a light on rural venues and the people at their heart.
We travelled over mountain and dale to the North Yorkshire village of Newton-le-Willows.
Sometimes confused with its namesake in Merseyside, this village sits in a beautiful rural setting three miles from Bedale.
It has a population of just over 400 and is served by a handful of buses each day. The bus stop is part-library, part-information hub. A mobile chippy visits fortnightly and a temporary Post Office arrives for 45 minutes on a Monday and Friday.
But a permanent fixture in Newton-le-Willows is its fantastic Village Hall with loyal band of volunteers who work with Rural Arts to bring cultural experiences to the heart of the community.
We met with promoter Bob Sampson to find out more.
How long has Newton-le-Willows been a venue for rural touring?
We have been operating as a venue for rural touring for almost 25 years. We were originally part of Arts in Richmondshire (AiR) which was disbanded and latterly part of Rural Arts.
What kind of things do you put on?
We pride ourselves on offering a wide range of professional productions (and occasionally activities) during the year which will appeal to as many people as possible. We have a core audience of loyal supporters who attend most of our shows but diversity is important to our ethos.
That’s why it is important to have a team of promoters at a venue with a range of views and attitudes to risk taking! It is all too easy to go for the easy option of tried and tested productions. We have staged drama, comedy, music (classical, jazz, guitar, folk, opera and rock!).
Why are village halls so important?
Village halls are vital to give people the opportunity to see high quality performances in their own locality and to meet with friends and neighbours while doing so. It is wonderful to see the transformation of a hall from a bare room into a theatre and back again in a matter of hours. It is part of a long tradition of touring entertainment that enriches lives.
Any stand-out moments?
Too many stand out moments, but for me possibly Ben Duke for Lost Dog dance company standing under a deluge of water in the middle of the Village Hall performing Paradise Lost. Or Nicola Mills's first note from her Opera for the People which filled the hall and stunned everyone. Outside Rural Arts I would say that many years of drama from North Country Theatre filled the Hall again and again and were eagerly anticipated.
What are your audiences like?
Audiences are mostly local and from the upper age group generally - we do try to attract more young people. We have a loyal core of regulars but always look to widen our field.
How vital are volunteers?
Volunteers are vital, not only to seek out, book and enable the performances to run smoothly, but also to provide a bar for the evening. The Village Hall is looked after by the local community who offer their time to make sure that the hall is well maintained, attractive and welcoming.
What does being part of a community team means to you?
I find it really rewarding, both culturally and socially, to be part of a team able to provide professional entertainment in a village setting.
What have you’ve learnt and the impact on the wider community.
We have learnt not to be afraid to try a more diverse range of productions and not to worry about attracting an adequate audience. We have made the odd loss but that is more than covered by our successes.
The impact on the wider community has been the opportunity to see a diverse range of entertainment in a local venue. It’s important given the poor transport links in our area and also for the older members of our community who don’t want to venture too far at night.
It’s an excellent use of our village hall - people from outside our community coming and spending money at our bar, an opportunity for people to meet up and to meet members of our community who don’t attend regular events.
