Halifax Piece Hall has its most successful year since re-opening in 2017, annual report shows

Ninety per cent of the major Calderdale heritage landmark and tourist attraction’s income now comes from its own activities, according to its annual report.

Halifax's Piece Hall Trust brought in £4.6m in 2021-22 - 10% of which was from Calderdale Council support.

Trust chair Sir Roger Marsh said this was a "significant" shift from 2018 when almost half of its £1.6 million income – 44 per cent – was from council funding.

He said over the five years since the historic former cloth hall had re-opening in 2017 it has contributed in excess of £50 million to Calderdale, in line with its original goal of becoming a key driver of the borough’s economy, bringing in an independently analysed £5.30 for every £1 spent on its running costs.

It is also living up to its goal of becoming an internationally admired, widely visited and highly successful attraction in its own right, he said.

Sir Roger said: “This significant shift in income sources and scale is down to the dedicated efforts of the CEO and the executive team and is seen by Historic England as an ‘exemplar’ funding model.

“It is also important to note that the Piece Hall remains free for all to enter, which is unusual for a nationally important historic building.”

Sir Roger has said previously that to keep the desired free access, some support will likely always be needed from a public funding source but the more successful the Piece Hall is, that amount is lessened.

The Piece Hall Trust’s latest report covers the 18th century Grade I listed building’s first year after the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, 2021-22.

Sir Roger added that the previous year 2020-21 posed severe challenges in light of the Covid-19 pandemic and health measures including social distancing which it brought.

He said the Piece Hall helped people by providing rent holidays to tenants of its many businesses, supplying free meals to schoolchildren and around 20,000 hot meals to NHS workers, securing emergency grants to help keep it running.

The public responded in huge numbers, added Sir Roger.

“Astonishingly, from April 2021 to November 2021, the period just after lockdown, 1.8 million visitors came to the Piece Hall, which is a reflection of how close it is to many people’s hearts and the variety of activities on offer,” he said.

The trust’s Chief Executive Officer, Nicky Chance-Thompson, said 9.8 million visitors had now been to the Piece Hall since re-opening, footfall contributing significantly to Halifax and borough-wide regeneration.

In 2021-22, income was up 75 per cent on the previous, Covid-hit, year and gross profits increased by £1.53 million to £3.46 million.

Over the year the trust employed an average of 35.3 full time employees.

Among many events, the Live at the Piece Hall series of concerts featuring artists including The Specials, Manic Street Preachers and New Order alone brought 40,000 people into the borough, are highlighted with artists keen to play in the historic setting.

Ms Chance-Thompson said a five-year agreement with promoters is ensuring the highest quality of events and performers, who have since included Paul Weller and Tom Jones.

Challenges as the trust moved out of 2021-22 included the highest inflation for years and soaring energy costs, added Ms Chance-Thompson.