THE Lister Hall, an historic and popular venue in Dursley, has been under threat of closure for the last five years as the Lister Club has struggled to pay for increasing bills and the cost of renovations. The Gazette has launched a campaign to save the hall, which needs a substantial amount of money for refurbishment and to repair the roof. This week Gazette reporter Claire Marshall talks to the Dursley Male Voice Choir, who are getting ready for their sell-out Christmas concert in the Lister Hall tomorrow night.

WHEN members of the Dursley Male Voice Choir talk about the Lister Hall, it is with genuine affection.

The venue has been home to their large-scale concerts since the 1980s and they believe the community must not lose such an invaluable resource.

Gerald Pierce, a member of the choir for 16 years, said: "Every community that has a heart has a place to display its character, its achievements and its soul.

"For Dursley and its adjacent parish of Cam, that place is the Lister Hall.

"The Lister Hall is spot on as a venue for choir concerts. It is in the centre of town and has the public car parks within reach. It has the optimum size for our audiences with 350 seats."

Members of the choir expressed serious concern that there would be no facility to take the place of the Lister Hall if it closed.

David Giles, concert secretary and chorister for 11 years, said: "It is undeniably the case that there is no suitable alternative to be found anywhere close to Dursley that could possibly substitute it if the facility were lost.

"To us it is clear that the local community needs to respond to the threatened closure not just with a lot of hot air, but also positive ideas as to how the facility can be saved for the whole community."

Malcolm Harris, a chorister for 28 years, said: "Rumours of alternative venues to be included either in the new Rednock School or on the Littlecombe site are vague and seem unlikely to provide suitable alternatives, quite apart from the question as to when they might be available."

When the Rednock School rebuild is complete in 2009, the building will include a venue that can hold 400 people.

However the chairman of the choir, Brian Tocknell, said: "Until all are aware of the facilities that will be available and associated constraints, the Lister Hall is the only facility that can stage major choir concerts. The community simply cannot afford to lose this resource."