THE group looking to take over Otley Methodist Church and turn it into a vibrant community hub have had their ranks bolstered by a number of new recruits, including actor Steve Huison.

After a recent callout for volunteers, a number of highly skilled local people have stepped forward to help out with governance, operations, events, and fundraising.

Mr Huison, who appeared in the Full Monty and Coronation Street, has joined the events team, having successfully run a number of events in Saltaire over the past 15 years.

Steve said “Since moving to Otley in 2023, I’ve been really keen to get involved in the music and arts scene. I’m inspired by the vision at Otley Common and having the opportunity to get involved with something like this from the start is a unique chance.”

Paul Shelley, head of the Common events team added: “Having somebody of Steve’s reputation and experience on the team is invaluable. The potential of this site is tremendous, so it’s great that Steve shares our vision to transform this wonderful set of buildings into an event space for the Common good of all in the area.”

As previously reported, local community group Friends of the Wesley Otley Limited (FOTWOL) are getting closer to achieving their goal of buying the Otley Methodist Church and transforming it into a community hub called the Otley COMMON. Their ambition is to bring the town together by providing accessible spaces for community groups to meet and thrive, studios and co-working space for local businesses and entrepreneurs, a dedicated youth space designed to cater for neurodiversity, and a venue for the arts.

Following on from their success of receiving £300k the Community Ownership Fund, the group have now launched their share offer. This method of ownership means the whole community will benefit not only from having a world class facility on their doorstep, but they will also receive interest on their investment and have a say in running the venue.

So far, the share offer has raised over £165k from generous local investors, but there’s a long way to go to reach the groups optimal target of £520k before the deadline on December 31.

To invest in the project, visit: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/otley-common To volunteer or for more information, please visit www.otleycommon.org or email hello@otleycommon.org