It is compact, welcoming venue with an almost endless variety of social uses and has the added bonus of being close to a major car park and to the town centre.

The hall is owned and operated by the WRVS, which has 70 years experience of helping people in hundreds of communities throughout England, Scotland and Wales and is probably most famous for its iconic Meals on Wheels service.

Now, however, the charity is facing something of a dilemma as Cass Hall is not being used nearly as much as it could be and its upkeep is costing far more than the money it takes in rental and useage fees.
So, the WRVS has launched a 'use it or lose it' campaign heightened by a warning that the charity might be forced to consider selling the hall if it remains under utilised.

And that would be a shame for the town as Cass Hall is held in affection by generations of people who have gathered there over the years.

WRVS Territory manager, Mr George McIntosh, said the hall was available seven days a week but was probably only used 20 per cent of that time - and that is simply not enough.

The charity needs to improve its use threefold to make it financially viable and to secure its existence for future generations of Driffield people.

Part of the problem appears to be that many people do not realise that anyone can hire the hall.

But Mr McIntosh explained that it could cater for a wide variety of functions.

It has a large main room, a smaller meeting room upstairs, toilet facilities, a kitchen and a second groundfloor room which is ideal for IT use or as a changing area. There is also a substantial outdoor garden area.

The hall is available for fund raising events such as jumbles and table top sales, small scale public or private meetings, shows or drama and dance classes, tea dances, gatherings by organisations or clubs such as WIs or countrywomen, exhibitions, children's parties - in fact it could be put to almost any use.

And the cost of hiring the hall is just £7 an hour.

The Mayor of Driffield, Coun Tony Cooper, agreed that it would be a pity to lose such an historic meeting place simply because it was under used. "It has been on the go for a considerable number of years and provides a meeting room."

He pointed out that Driffield had already lost meeting rooms at The Foundry on Cross Hill, which closed recently, and that the Community Centre was not always available as it was often very busy with bookings.

Coun Cooper said: "It should be brought to the attention of the general public that Cass Hall was available for hire."