VILLAGE HALL NEWS SHEET June 2011  

Welcome to the latest update on what's going on with the new Village Hall.
Sorry we didn't get into the last edition of the News sheet, due to the editorial changes. However, the main thing is that, after many years of talking about it, we are seeing our NEW Village Hall being built.

Building Progress

At the time of writing (21 June), PJ Spillings Ltd, our appointed builders, are progressing well, with all the ground works completed and brickwork being done on the changing room areas. The steel frames are being delivered during the week commencing 27 June.

Key Milestones and Site Visits

We will be having a number of events to link into the key stages of the project over the coming months and this will give us the opportunity to share wider, the progress being made with our new hall. The first of these was a small ceremony to mark the cutting of the first turf on 28 April, where ministers from both churches gave a blessing for the project and where all the children from our primary school attended. We will also be celebrating the “topping out” later in the year and there will also be some organised site visits for those who wish to take a closer look as the building progresses. The first of these was on 20 June and attended by around 50 residents.

Play Area

The play area will be relocated to its new site, so that it can be used through the construction project. This has taken a bit longer than we hoped as the topsoil had to be removed first and, in order to get it done for free, we had to wait. We will be taking the opportunity to remove some of the older pieces of equipment that do not meet modern standards. Space will be left for their replacement, along with other new equipment in due course. In addition, we are repairing some pieces of equipment that were already damaged.

Access to the Field

Questions have been asked regarding access to the Playing Field during the construction project. Safe pedestrian access will be maintained at all times, from both the gate at the southern end of the field and from the footpath at the northern end, both off Ouse Lane .

The existing vehicular access from Mallard Way will be used for almost all construction traffic and a safe track for non-construction vehicles will be maintained for most of the time. However, there will inevitably be some short periods when this access will not be available and we have arranged for the gate access on Ouse Lane to be used for short periods for small vehicles.

Opening

The new hall will be handed over to the community in November this year and we will arrange both a formal opening and a launch party at that time.

Finance

The overall plan has always been to build the Hall without funding from the Parish Precept. By working so hard to raise external funding and ensuring full market value for our assets, we have delivered the financial package for the new hall without calling on the Precept.

Users and Fundraising

We now have firm interest in running the following activities:

Keep Fit/Aerobics/Martial Arts/Pilates

Rural cinema

Dressmaking/Soft furnishing

Table Tennis

Mobile Gym

Badminton

Short Tennis for children

After school activities

Community Health visits

Further interest has been expressed in a wide range of other activities, both in terms of sports and non-sporting recreation and as these are confirmed, we will obviously advertise these.

We have also formed a Management Committee with representatives from our permanent users to move some of the more operational issues forward, for when the hall opens. More on what they are doing next month.

Focus on…….Rural Cinema

In the surveys we carried out, a large number of people requested that we look at the possibility of running a rural cinema in the new hall. This would allow you to watch recently released films without having to travel into Norwich and park the car! Work is underway to cost the installation of the necessary equipment, which would also be used to provide audio visual facilities for functions such as parties and weddings as well as conferencing/business meetings.
Initial enquiries have indicated that grant funding may be available for such a project.

Community cinemas have proved very popular throughout Norfolk , providing something for all ages. We are looking for people who are interested in getting involved with helping in this area, so if you fancy being a projectionist, film booker or promoter please contact Karen Baker on 598447.