Ulverston is rallying together to transform The Old Mart on Victoria Road into a grand community hub.

The proposed centre is aimed to foster diverse and communal activities including support services, a multifunctional hall, and a maker space.

The initiative is gathering momentum under the umbrella of the newly formed Old Mart Group (OMG).

The group includes members of the Ulverston Table Tennis Club, Ulverston Food Project, Lantern Festival and the Resilience Group.

The Mail: A map showing Ulverston's lost spaces, shown in redA map showing Ulverston's lost spaces, shown in red (Image: OMG)

Zoe Mander, chair of the Ulverston Resilience Group and OMG, said: "Ulverston's lost so many spots we desperately need a new one.

"The Parish Rooms have gone, we lost Lanternhouse, the Town Hall and who knows if our purpose-built Library will ever reopen?

"It feels like if we don't come together now and make something new, a lot of the things that make Ulverston's community so strong will fall over."

A fundraising target of £500,000 has been set to acquire and refurbish the building.

The remodelling process involves creating wooden 'interior pods', proposed by local company, Digital Woodoo.

Simon Wand, a structural engineer and trustee of Ulverston Food Project and OMG, said: "Digital Woodoo need space to grow so the idea is they will be a founding tenant, using their CNC machines to create modular units within the Mart building for groups to use that are affordable to heat and maintain.

"We hope to be a real trailblazer, showing how big buildings like this can be brought back into use."

The expansive building will welcome various groups into its folds providing a solution to the current space scarcity.

The Mail: An example of an interior podAn example of an interior pod (Image: Takahashi-Hiroko)

It will act as a base for community-centric services like the Ulverston Food Project and a venue for indoor sports with spaces for the Ulverston Table Tennis Club.

When the tables are folded away, it can be utilised by art groups and hosts events like the Ulverston Lantern Festival.

The future of The Old Mart includes a facility expansion for the Ulverston Food Project, a minor hall, storage areas, meeting rooms, fitting rooms, restrooms, and a kitchen.

Paul Galley, secretary of the Old Mart Group, said: "We want the building to be an accessible, welcoming, multi-purpose space to as many people as possible.

"If we can pull this off, we'll increase the availability of opportunities for people to take part in sports, social and art activities and have a massively-positive impact on the health, wellbeing and resilience of our community."

To realise their plans, the members of OMG are applying to the Community Ownership Fund, and a submission is due by the end of May.

They openly invite those who have had difficulties locating space for their community activities to share their experiences and aspirations for The Spot.

A crowdfunding campaign will be launching to support the bid.

Please send your experiences or suggestions to thespotulverston@gmail.com.