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Apr 2022
'Over the moon' as sale completes on planned Harrogate mosque
A new mosque will be created in central Harrogate after the sale of the former Home Guard club completed today.
Harrogate Islamic Association has collected the keys for its new Tower Street premises after raising the £500,000 needed to buy the now-dilapidated building.
However, the hard work is not over: the group will continue to raise funds throughout Ramadan, which started today, to fund the renovations needed to bring the property back into use.
Zahed Amanullah, a member of the association, told the Stray Ferret:
Mr Amanullah said Friday prayers for members of the association had been celebratory, with many having moved to Harrogate a decade or more ago and been searching for a place for a mosque ever since.
Read more:
- ‘Community goodwill’ helped to overcome anti-mosque campaign, says Harrogate Islamic Association
- Malcolm Neesam History: the colourful past of what could become Harrogate’s first mosque
Harrogate Borough Council granted planning permission in March for changes to the building to create a place of worship.
HIA then began a crowdfunding campaign to raise £200,000, alongside loans, to complete the purchase and to carry out repairs. Mr Amanullah said the first priority was to repair the roof and ensure the building was water-tight before any further work was carried out.
Zahed Amanullah of Harrogate Islamic Association
Then, he hopes some space can be refurbished and opened later this year while the remainder of the building is renovated. He added:
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