THE four-year battle to keep Kelly Bray's WI hall as a community resource could be coming to an end due to lack of funds to pay legal fees, but campaigners say they will not let it go without a fight. Following the folding of the village's Women's Institute last year, the hall — which has been used by the community as well as the WI during its 70 years of existence — was hoped to be kept by the residents for use as a village hall. But according to the Charity Commission, the hall should now be owned by the Cornwall Federation of Women's Institutes (CFWI) and be sold to use the money to further its charitable objectives in Cornwall. The Kelly Bray Village Hall Committee was set up to focus on saving the hall for the village, along with a fighting fund to pay for legal fees. It engaged a solicitor, experienced in charity law, to act for it and the former committee members of Kelly Bray WI. The CFWI also appointed a solicitor and both agreed that ownership of the hall had not transferred to CFWI as there was nothing in the constitution to say that it should. Chair of the village hall committee Susie Iannantuoni said: 'There is nothing on the WI constitution which says that when a WI folds its property transfers to the county federation. 'On the contrary, it says that when a WI is going into suspension, property, other than money, must be disposed of by means of a scheme proposed by the WI and approved by the appropriate federation of Women's Institutes. Such a scheme was agreed — that the hall be given to the village of Kelly Bray on the condition that, if it exists, the local WI could use the hall free of hire charge and that if it ceased to be viable as a village hall, ownership would transfer to the Cornwall Federation. 'The CFWI communicated this agreement to the Charity Commission, subject to CFWI approval of the final legal documentation, in 2011. We have been battling with the Charity Commission ever since to get its approval to implement the scheme.' The two solicitors made a joint application to the Charity Commission for approval of the scheme but the Charity Commission said as the WI group no longer existed the property was owned by CFWI and that it must sell it. Susie said both solicitors were convinced the Charity Commission was wrong, but nearly all the committee's funds had been used on legal fees and it could not afford to take the fight to a higher authority in the Charity Commission. 'While a few weeks ago the CFWI solicitor was of the opinion that ownership had not transferred to CFWI, they are now insisting that the hall stops being used and that keys be surrendered to them. 'They see no option but to sell the property. We accept they have been left in a difficult legal situation,' said Susie. The committee is now hoping to appeal against the Charity Commission's decision. Susie added: 'We don't have any legal representation anymore so we are doing a lot of research on Google to manage the appeal ourselves. 'We're hoping that there may be people who read this that didn't realise what has been going on with the hall and may want to donate or help us. 'We don't really know where to turn now but we are definitely not giving up. We won't let the hall go without a fight — we will pull together to find a way to keep the hall.' When contacted CFWI?said it was not yet in a position to respond. The Charity Commission was also unavailable for comment as the Times went to press. Anyone who can help the plight of the village should contact Susie on 01579 383829.