The Story of the Welfare Hall

Our replica of Leasingthorne Colliery Welfare Hall and Community Centre is now open - the first exhibit in our 1950s Town!

The original hall which was built in 1957, now known as Coundon and Leeholme Community Centre, is still at the heart of its community.

Staff and volunteers have been working with people from the community in Coundon and Leeholme in County Durham for the past few years to authentically recreate this typical example of a 1950s welfare hall - and bring their stories to life.

From sewing and keep fit classes to live music, children's play groups and coffee mornings, the welfare hall will play host to a packed programme of activities that visitors can join in with throughout the year.

The kitchen and table tops in our welfare hall features Formica ® laminate, which was donated by Formica Group, using a recreated pattern from the 1950s.

A grant from the Banks Community Fund, which was administered by by County Durham Community Foundation, has contributed to the costs of the roof of the welfare hall.

The welfare hall is part of the £20 million Remaking Beamish project. Thanks to the money raised by National Lottery players, the project has been awarded £10.9million by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

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