Otley Common

The countdown is on til our next POP UP this weekend! Join us at Otley Methodist Church 11am - 2pm on Saturday 17th August.

Meet the fantastic local makers who will be showcasing & selling their beautiful art and products... with more to be announced!

No need to book, just pop in! It'll be a fantastic opportunity to experience first hand all the different ways in which the building can be used as Otley Common.

We're thrilled to be collaborating with Otley Camera Club on a project which will see their very talented photographers capture the transformation of Otley Methodist Church into Otley Common!

If you'd like to take a tour of the building to see it for yourself - don't forget we have a Talk & Tour tonight (Wednesday 7th August) 7pm - 8pm which is your opportunity to meet the team, hear about our plans, how you can support and see first hand the amazing potential of the space!

Hopefully see you there?

Did you spot us in the paper on Saturday? We made our debut in the Yorkshire Post and what a brilliant write up and photo (thank you Otley Camera Club)

If you want to find out more about who we are, what we are trying to achieve and how you can support make sure you join us tomorrow Wednesday 7th August, 7pm - 8pm at Otley Methodist Church for our Talk & Tour.

See you there!

A huge thank you to everyone who attended our Talk & Tour yesterday, even when the sun was shining outside! 🌞

We had a great time showing you all around the beautiful building and talking about our plans. The Chapel always gets the best reaction - imagine a gig in there!

In addition to a tour, the team of Otley residents working tirelessly to create Otley Common delivered a presentation, showcasing our plans, our vision and we took questions from the audience too. There were some brilliant questions and feedback so thank you for joining us!

If you missed it, don't worry we have another next Wednesday 7th August 7pm - 8pm at Otley Methodist Church .

No need to book just pop along :) This is your opportunity to find out how you can help support us transform this building and our town.

Are you a performer?

Or perhaps you are part of a club or society?

As part of our Otley Common POP UP on Saturday 17th August 11am - 2pm we are looking for performers, clubs & societies etc to join us for a takeover to showcase what they can do using the space!

Perhaps you dance, sing, or even juggle?

It's the perfect opportunity to showcase your talents and to promote your activity!

If you are interested in finding out more and are available on this time & day, please get in touch by emailing [email protected]

We know Otley is a talented community, help us showcase that at Otley Common!

When we are asking you to invest in Otley Common, what does that actually mean? How does it work?

Watch this super useful guide...

What are community shares? An animated guide Discover community shares with this simple yet informative animation. Produced by Trillion Fund for the Community Shares Unit - a dedicated support service f...

Local performers from community theatre group Otley Players kindly gave up their time to create this brilliant video, performing our manifesto at Otley Methodist Church, soon to be Otley Common.

"This is a story about our towns, our streets, our buildings and our community.

The spaces and places we all share, should share and need to share.
They lead us to a deeper sense of place and connect us to each other.

COMMON places that we can meet, learn, teach, work and enjoy.

Places that make us feel proud.

Places that speak to us, that we have helped create, we can have a stake in, that we build for the COMMON good.

To create a new history — reinvented, renovated and reimagined.

What our old COMMON buildings can be.

These buildings were never constructed to serve the few, they were created in eras of civic pride, constructed for the COMMON person.

This is our collective commission — to become custodians of the building, to give it a new purpose, a new lease of life and meaning for the future and value to our town and all of us that live here.

An open building that becomes a beacon, an inviting place for us all to use, to communicate, to comment.

​A place that combines the wealth of a community, its people, its resources and its spirit.

Created from a cooperative approach and a true sense of duty.

​The building will be a place we all have in COMMON.

Thank you Otley Players!

A COMMON MANIFESTO Otley Players perform A Common Manifesto.https://www.otleycommon.org/https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/otley-common

"Volunteers are working hard to transform the historic Otley Methodist Church building into Otley Common, a vibrant cultural, entrepreneurial and social space for the community to meet, work and play.

The project came about as the result of a shared concern over the continuing loss of community assets in the Otley area and the alarm about the decline of Otley Civic Centre, a building now on the National Heritage ‘at risk’ register.

Otley Common will be run by the community for the community, providing space for community groups and classes, small studios for artists and business start ups, a community café, co-working space, a dedicated youth area, large spaces for music, comedy and art, serving both private and professional functions."

Read more below...

Thanks LeedsLiving for the feature!

Otley Common: a Community Hub in the Making | Leeds Living Volunteers are working hard to transform the historic Otley Methodist Church building into Otley Common, a vibrant cultural, entrepreneurial and social space for the community to meet, work and play. The project came about as the result of a shared concern over the continuing loss of community a ...

Otley Common will be a hub for all generations and we were delighted to be joined by the fantastic Rona this month from PHGS, as she completed her sixth form work experience from with us at Otley Common.

Rona put her brilliant filming & production skills to good use 📽 , interviewing current users of the building to learn more about what the building has meant to them over the years.

Thank you to representatives from Otley Methodist Church, Seasons School Of Performing Arts, JiuJitsu, Beavers and more!

Otley Methodist Church has been serving all members of the community for hundreds of years, and we hope to continue that legacy for its new chapter as Otley Common.

Thank you for all your hard work Rona 👏 To find out more about our vision for the building visit otleycommon.org

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j93pjCCUSJY

Otley Common - Past & Present Learn about the history and usage of Otley Methodist Church from current users. Their perspective also helps show how important it is that this building rema...

We can't quite believe it's been one whole week since our very first POP UP!

🎨Wobbly Bob Otley and Jeanne-Louise Art had their beautiful local handmade products & art on sale

🎸 local musicians played in the Chapel to showcase our aim to become a live music venue (just think of those acoustics!)

🥙 River Cafe Otley cooked up a feast collaborating with Otley Community Larder

🏛 architects Stead & Co discussed the building plans and took attendees on a tour

🧵Otley WII showed off their crafting talents (and helped us massively with the clean up - thank you so much)

🎶 our very own Paul from the OC team brought the good music and the good vibes

We have plans to make the next one bigger and better so make sure you POP IN to our POP UP on Saturday 17th August 11am - 2pm at Otley Methodist Church. POP the date in your diary now 😀

Recently elected Labour MP Katie White for Leeds North West visited us in her first week in office!

Katie White said: “I’ve had a fantastic first week in the job and feel incredibly lucky to represent the best constituency in the country, Leeds North West. Our vibrant community spirit brings people together, whether it’s the drive of the Otley Common project or the brilliant teams behind the Yeadon Carnival or the Ralph Thoresby School’s fayre."

Special thanks to Wharfedale Embroidery Ltd for our fantastic pink Otley Common branded t-shirts!

Katie White hits the ground running as new MP for Leeds North West Katie White hits the ground running as new MP for Leeds North West

Our main method of fundraising for Otley Common is by investments to our , however we are aware that with the minimum investment being £200 - this isn't an option for everyone.

A few of you have fed back you'd like to support in other ways - here's how!

1) Donate

If you would like to support financially but not via the Community Share Offer, you can donate. Whether that is £5 or £50 - every figure helps! You can donate via the link below.

2) Volunteer

Instead of donating money, you could donate your time and skills? We would love to grow our team to increase capacity and are looking for support with events, marketing, grant/funding, ops, hospitality and more!

3) Tell everyone!

Help us spread the word - tell your friends, family, colleagues, neighbours. Let's get the word out there so everyone knows Otley Common is here.

Thanks for all of your support so far Otley, we really do appreciate it!

Otley COMMON Donations To raise funds to buy and renovate Otley Methodist Church, then reopen it as Otley COMMON (this is not the share offer)

We held our very first Otley Common POP UP at the weekend, and wow what a day!

The idea of the POP UP was to invite you all to the building and showcase the amazing space, and ways in which we envision it being used by all the community as Otley Common! We had food, drink, art, crafts, live music and more.

There's too many people to thank in one post! We'll be thanking everyone who supported and made the day possible throughout the week - but for now we would like to thank all of you who joined us!

It was great to meet you all, and a joy to hear that you are all as excited about this project as we are.

We will be hosting another one next month (details TBC) and more information sessions across the summer so make sure you follow this page to be the first hear about upcoming events.

To find out more and help us make our vision a reality visit our website www.otleycommon.org - thank you!

Thanks for the mention Wharfedale Observer!

The group says: "We want to bring the Otley Methodist Church into community ownership and seek to raise a target of £571,700 in share capital.

"This will be added to the £300,000 grant we have already received from the Community Ownership Fund. This money will be used to purchase the building and carry out Phase 1 of our renovation."

The hub will provide spaces for community art groups and classes, studios for artists and business start-ups, co-working, and a dedicated youth area.

Read the full article below...

https://www.wharfedaleobserver.co.uk/news/24437681.chance-learn-ambitious-plans-otley-methodist-church/?ref=socialflow&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR04cPasWbymJYGG56UQCZ9ME-p8_2DL7_NHTulHhLrtVDbrhW5xkr2EHgA_aem_1l3pg1wcqMCFU6FJLh3dyw

Invitation to pop-in to learn more about ambitious plans for former Methodist Church THE organisers behind the ambitious Otley Common project are holding a pop-up event this weekend to showcase their plans for the town's former…

Who's joining us this Saturday?

POP down to our Otley Common POP UP as we share our plans to transform Otley Methodist Church into Otley Common a hub for the community by the community.

No need to book, just POP in anytime 11am - 1pm.

You can't miss us now...

Today is , a day devoted to celebrating independent retailers across the UK, and is full of them!

A huge thank you to all supporting us and helping us to spread the word.

We're looking to deliver leaflets across the town over the next couple of weeks. If you would like to volunteer to help us deliver to your area, please could you PM us and let us know which streets you can do.

We’ll be at Otley Carnival, come and see us! You won’t be able to miss us, we’ve big banners with Otley Common all over them 😀.

https://www.otleycommon.org/building

Want to see our plans for Otley COMMON and also learn a bit about the history of the building? Then head over to our website.

Building | Otley Common ​The Wesley Hall was built next door in 1905 to serve as a Sunday School and recreational hall, and became well known for its Gilbert and Sullivan plays. The lecture and youth halls were built at the rear on Walkergate along with the Church parlour. The caretaker's house was built at this time.​...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6w-311GBIM

For anybody wondering how community shares work, here's a great little video.

What are community shares? An animated guide Discover community shares with this simple yet informative animation. Produced by Trillion Fund for the Community Shares Unit - a dedicated support service f...

There have been some really moving comments on the Crowd Funder page from donors. Thank you so much, we will do our absolute best to make Otley Common a reality for future use recognising and respecting those that have loved the building before. Thank you so much.
Please do share as widely as possible:

Otley COMMON Share Offer To purchase and renovate Otley Methodist Church and transform it into 'Otley COMMON’, a place for the community, owned by the community.

https://www.wesleyotley.org.uk/about

A big welcome to the newest member of our team, John Barlow. John has come on board to help out with project management.

If you're interested in getting involved then, please send us a message.

About | Mysite We are the Wesley Community Group, a small group of residents who have come together to buy Otley Methodist Church to preserve this for community use as The Wesley.  ​

https://www.wesleyotley.org.uk/post/the-wesley-update-19th-june-2023

Quite a few people having been asking for an update on the process. Hopefully this answers some of your questions. Please get in touch if you have anymore.

The Wesley Update - 19th June 2023 Thank You It's been a few weeks since we went public at the Otley Show, so we thought we'd take the chance to give you all a quick update, but, first of all, a big thank you to everybody who has donated to our project, expressed an interest in the using the space, or shared our information. What hav...

https://tinyurl.com/surveywesley

Please take a couple of minutes to complete our survey and have your say on the future of the Methodist Church and tell us what you would like to see in there.

Fill | The Wesley - Community Survey

BIG NEWS! THE WESLEY COMMUNITY GROUP IS BUYING OTLEY METHODIST CHURCH …and YOU CAN HELP!

The Wesley Community Group is a group of local residents who have come together to buy Otley Methodist Church to preserve this beautiful Grade II-listed building as a much-needed home for the community to meet, work and play. Our offer to buy the church has been accepted, now we just need to RAISE THE FUNDS!

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/wesleyotley

The Wesley will be a multi-functional community hub or 'Town Hall' providing:

Spaces for Community Activities:

Scouts, Guides, Rainbows and Beavers; exercise and well-being classes like Pilates and yoga; activities for elderly and youth groups; a continuing home for the Methodist congegration; room hire for other local groups.

Events Space:

community theatre and music events, dance nights, food and clothes markets, festivals, weddings, exhibitions, conferences etc.

Workspaces:

Flexible studio and office spaces for local artists, business start-ups, entrepreneurs and social enterprises to be able to work locally and provide a hub for collaborative and remote working.

Sustainable Energy:

Otley 2030 and Otley Energy will be restoring the Caretaker’s Cottage and retrofitting it with sustainable energy technology to serve as a working example of how similar stone properties can be maintained in an energy-efficient way and then let as affordable housing.

​The Wesley will be run as a not-for-profit community benefit society, OWNED BY THE PEOPLE OF OTLEY FOR THE PEOPLE OF OTLEY.

Learn more on our new website:

www.wesleyotley.org.uk

Home | Mysite We need to raise approximately £750,000 by 31st August to cover the cost of purchase, basic renovations and first year running costs. We will be doing this through a mixture of community shares, donations and grant funding.

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/wesleyotley

Please support us in our mission to purchase Otley Methodist Church for community use.

Otley Methodist Church - Community Buyout To raise funds to buy Otley Methodist Church and turn it into a large multi-purpose community hub, called 'The Wesley'.

The Wesley Community Group is a group of local residents who have come together to buy Otley Methodist Church to preserve this beautiful Grade II-listed building as a much-needed home for the community to meet, work and play.

The Wesley will be a multi-functional community hub or 'Town Hall' providing:

Spaces for Community Activities:
Scouts, Guides, Rainbows and Beavers; exercise and well-being classes like Pilates and yoga; activities for elderly and youth groups; a continuing home for the Methodist congegration; room hire for other local groups.

Events Space:
community theatre and music events, dance nights, food and clothes markets, festivals, weddings, exhibitions, conferences etc.

Workspaces:
Flexible studio and office spaces for local artists, business start-ups, entrepreneurs and social enterprises to be able to work locally and provide a hub for collaborative and remote working.

Sustainable Energy:
The Caretaker’s Cottage will be restored and retrofitted with sustainable energy technology to serve as a working example of how similar stone properties can be maintained in an energy-efficient way and then let as affordable housing.

​The Wesley will be run as a not-for-profit community benefit society, owned by the people from Otley for the people of Otley.