A plea for "community spirit" has been called after vandalism and struggling times at a community hall.

The Townstal community hall which has been a community asset for 14 years is under threat, explained Chair Steve Smith.

The hall is suffering due to the high running costs which are barely covered by the funds made from the hall and the criminal damage at the hall. It costs £800 per month to keep the hall running, which Steve said was difficult to obtain each month while keeping the prices competitive.

Unfortunately, this situation has become worse in the last year with income costs gradually increasing since the hall was built and bookings and community use decreasing.

In addition, the recent spates of criminal activity are threatening the survival of the hall. Windows have been smashed, belongings stolen and the exterior damaged, which all impacts the upkeep costs and the effectiveness of the hall as a community space.

As chairman of the community hall since 2009, Steve said he had never experienced such a “spate of petty criminal damage” until lately.

Twice, opportunist thieves have stolen from the premises, an expensive user group system was stolen and windows have been broken.

However, the culprits were not caught in the act and witnesses have not come forward, so Steve has asked the public to support the community hall by reporting any criminal activity they might see.

Steve explained that the hall committee cannot afford to put CCTV in place to catch the criminals so he hopes any witnesses will come forward in the future.

In spite of this, Steve remains positive that the space has the potential to be a brilliant community space for Townstal and the whole of Dartmouth.

The site owned by South Hams District Council, is run by a small committee of five volunteers who work tirelessly to continue the upkeep and running of the hall. In addition, Steve believes the committee needs some new and young blood to form a social committee to aid in the running of the hall and encourage more young people to get involved.

“The hall has a lot of potential-it has held kids parties, functions, public meetings, group events and various special occasions.”

He hopes this plea to the community will encourage people to support the hall and get involved. “We need to get community spirit back’” he added.

With a young social committee, Steve hopes the hall can grow and improve, while continuing to provide a community space and asset to residents.

Part funded by various groups including National Lottery Fund, Community Council of Devon, Devon County Council, South Hams District Council and Dartmouth Town Council, the purpose built community hall in Ivatt Road was opened on October 30, 2004 and consists of a large hall, meeting room, a well-equipped kitchen, disabled facilities, a storage space and a car park.