The building of a regional headquarters Onward Building - appeal

Abstract

These reports and appeals from Onward in 1902/3 talk of plans to erect a new building for the Lancashire and Cheshire Band of Hope at a projected cost of £12,000. It was built between 1903-1905, at an eventual cost of £15,000, all of which was raised by supporters – and it still stands today.

A Great Band of Hope Enterprise.

Our readers will, we believe, be greatly interested in the sketch given on the next page of the building which the Lancashire and Cheshire Band of Hope and Temperance Union (Incorporated 1902) is about to erect in the heart of the City of Manchester.

This Union, long recognised as one of the most vigorous and progressive of Temperance organisations, commenced in 1863, with some twelve to sixteen societies. It now comprises 1,650 societies, federated into 79 town and district unions, with a membership exceeding 265,000. Its operations are carried on upon a scale of similar magnitude.

While mainly relying upon honorary effort in the promotion of its work, the Union, whose voluntary workers exceed 6.300, retains for special work the whole-time service of three Day School Lecturers for Scientific Temperance Teaching in the schools, three village agents for organizing and visitation work, a Secretary, a Publication Manager, an office staff of ten persons, and also the evening service of nine Deputational Lecturers (Schoolmaster and others), for educational work in the associated societies.

The Following condensed report of one year’s work, 1902, will give some ideas of the
MAGNITUDE OF THE UNION’S OPERATIONS.

The Day School Lecturers visited 1,163 day and evening schools, and gave science object lessons on ”The Nature and Properties of Alcohol” to 3,253 teachers and 111,688 scholars, of whom 49,095 prepared essay reports of the lessons, for which 23,644 certificates of merit were awarded by the Committee. Deputations were provided for 410 special meetings and demonstrations. The Village Agents visited 212 villages and addressed 254 meetings, with an aggregate audience of 33,881. The special Evening Agents of the Union gave over 550 Band of Hope experimental, illustrated, educational addresses to the societies, while from the Publication department of the Union, upwards of a million and a quarter of temperance publications of all kinds were issued.

For a long time the Union – whose President is that stalwart Temperance leader,
REV. CANON HICKS, M.S.,
and whose 38 years Honorary Secretary is Mr. Thos. E. Hallsworth – has been badly crippled for want of suitable premises from and in which to carry on its work.

The more the Union grew, the more pressing became the need for adequate accommodation. At length the Committee were forced either to stop much of their work or to make a special effort to secure premises of their own.

After meeting with disappointment in connection with one eagerly desired site, the Union have secured a splendid site on one of the main streets of Cottonopolis, Deansgate.

A better or more public site could scarcely have been chosen, nor one which will give greater
PROMINENCE TO THE BAND OF HOPE MOVEMENT.

The building will have frontages to two streets, Booth Street and Deansgate, and will cover an area of 369 square yards. In it provision is to be made for a restaurant and stock rooms in the basement, shops and entrance hall on the ground floor, suite of offices, board room, etc. on the first and second floors, and a spacious meeting hall (with lift accommodation) at the top. The building will be constructed in brick and terra cotta, and will be suitably and tastefully decorated throughout.

One of its special features will be
A ROOM OF REST
where visitors from outside districts may, when visiting Manchester, have a little quiet, write a letter, peruse temperance literature, and make acquaintance with the volumes of the TEMPERANCE LIBRARY to be housed in it. The Meeting Hall is to contain a Founder’s Memorial – not a record to people long since dead and gone – but a permanent tribute to the living active workers and societies, through whose energy, self sacrifice, and enterprise the building will be erected.

To ensure this they will need to raise some £15,000.
A GOOD START HAS BEEN MADE.
The Chairman of the Union (Mr. H. Thornton, J.P.) promised £1,000, £500 of which has already been paid, the other £500 being conditional upon the whole amount being raised this year, 1903. That well-known friend of all good movements Mr. W.P. Hartley, has promised £250. The Treasurer of the Union (Mr. J.S. Higham, J.P., C.C.) £200, and the members of the Committee and friends are doing splendidly for the effort. Many of the Associated Societies recognising that if Fifteen-pence per head of the membership were raised, the whole amount required would be secured, are contributing on that basis. The man who can give much and the man who can only give a little are all being looked after. Nothing is being despised, big or little, all is welcome, be it pounds, shillings, or pence.

The boldness of the effort deeply impresses us, as well as the courage of the Lancashire and Cheshire Band of Hope workers.

We would like to help them. Indeed we believe that many of our readers will also want to have a share in this building. Accordingly, we have decided to organize an
OUR READERS FUND
in aid of the effort, and appeal to our readers to use the slips enclosed, and to give and collect for our part of the effort. Arrangements have been made that all contributions remitted to the Secretary, Room 8, 3, North Parade, Manchester, and marked “Our Readers’ Fund,” shall be duly acknowledged therefrom and in subsequent issues of this paper, while the names of all who give (or collect) not less than Two Guineas shall be inscribed on the permanent Founders’ Memorial.

We want to see “Our Readers” well represented on that memorial.
Can we have your help?