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Wallops
Parish Hall – Update on Progress March 2010
As
can be seen at the A343 crossroads, the refurbishment programme for the
Wallops Parish Hall is progressing as planned and the Management
Committee expect the work to be finished on time.
The
hall is being refurbished and modernized to a high standard, with a new,
insulated roof and insulation to the walls and floors. The hall will
have a new kitchen, new toilets and will be fully disabled compliant.
The interior is being remodelled to create a large hall, a small hall, a
snug/small meeting room and an entrance foyer. All the doors and windows
are being replaced and repositioned to maximize natural light.
Dates
to note:
-
7th April -
Hall Management Committee meeting in NW Village Hall,
7.30 pm
-
22nd April – Contractors hand back hall to the
Management Committee.
-
1st May - Hall Open Day. (date of official opening to
be confirmed).
A
huge thank you is due to all those in the Wallops who have generously
responded to recent appeals for funds. We have now raised the truly
magnificent total from local donations and fundraising in the Wallops of
£20,493 and are therefore much closer to our target of £28,876, which
will allow us to provide all necessary fixtures and fittings, furnish
the hall, including curtains throughout, fit out the kitchen and provide
moveable staging and lighting equipment.
The
Hall Management Committee is also deeply grateful to the following
funders whose generosity has made the project possible:
The
Big Lottery Fund Communitiy Buildings Programme
Viridor
Credits
The
Trusthouse Charitable Foundation
Test
Valley
Borough Council
Hampshire
County Council
Over
Wallop Parish Council
Nether
Wallop Parish Council
Testway
Transform Money Box Fund
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Wallops Parish Hall - It's Started Brilliantly,
but More Help is Needed!
The public meeting on Thursday 16 April held to report on the plans
and funding for the hall refurbishment was well attended by an
enthusiastic audience from both villages.
Lindsay Murray-Twinn opened the meeting by giving a general
background to the Big Lottery Fund bid and thanking the Committee who
had worked with such dedication and commitment to gain the grant.
John Taylor Firth then described the history of the bid and the
current situation. Edward
Souter outlined the plans for the refurbished hall, which were also on
display for inspection by the public.
The terms and conditions of the Big Lottery Grant were explained,
along with the planned timeframe for the tender and construction phases,
and fundraising. The Big
Lottery Fund have done the hall proud and provided a grant of £243,835,
which represents 71% of the estimated total needed.
The exact amount needed will be defined when tenders are returned
and when it is clear how much help is being offered in kind, e.g. in the
form of kitchen units and appliances, volunteer labour and so on.
Total costs as presented in the Stage 2 Big Lottery Fund bid stand at £343,835
which leaves a funding gap at present of £99,840.
The two Parish Councils have kindly agreed to make contributions
and these are linked to a TVBC grant, which together would amount to £25,000.
Pepe Keightley reported that a total of 32 charitable Trusts and
grant-making bodies had been applied to so far for additional grant
funding, though there was little to report to date. lt
is a lengthy process, often taking 4 - 6 months to hear back from the
bodies concemed. The Funding
Sub-Committee was continuing to research more funds to approach.
There are a number of funds who would make grants to groups and
societies for equipment (often related to sports, youth activities, the
arts, etc) but who would not help with the capital costs of refurbishing
the hall.
These funds tended to have a quick turnaround and accept
applications only when people are ready to spend. Thus
it would be wonderful if any community groups wanting to fundraise for
the project (or with spare cash available) could direct it towards
meeting the additional funding target for the capital rebuild costs,
where it is very much needed at the moment.
Once the additional funding has been raised and the refurbishment
process was underway, t he focus could shift to funding equipment for
the groups who would use the hall. lt
is pleasing that there is already a sum of £1,278 in the kitty from the
early beginnings of community fundraising - a combination of a legacy, a
donation, proceeds from Pauline Wise's dog talks and a collection at the
WASPS Spring Forward event.
Sarah Day commented that while the fact that we had only received
one or two 'No's from funders was quite positive, there was no denying
that these were not ideal times to be looking for funding and we would
have to apply for many times the amount we needed.
She said it was important to broaden our appeal, especially
locally. She asked if anyone
with contacts in, for example, the Rotary Club, Lions, Masonic Lodges or
local companies, or any personal contact who might be helpful
(especially trustees of funding bodies) locally or nationally could
consider approaching them on behalf of the hall.
People with the relevant experience were also very much needed to
join the Funding Sub-Committee.
Sarah Whitaker made an energetic appeal for community fundraising,
whether it was cash donations, donations in kind (your old fridge or
cooker for the kitchen), planning an even, baking a cake, shaking a
bucket, volunteering to help
with the building work – everything helped.
After the meeting was opened to the public, funds were boosted by
the kind donation of £180 profit from the Queen's Golden Jubilee event
and personal promises of funds for a sink for the new kitchen, a new
microwave, and £100. The
Wallop Artists have also agreed a very generous donation.
There were plenty of excellent ideas for community fundraising,
ranging from self-help effort for the project, via jumble sales and
'giraffe' racing, to a general appeal and a charity publication of
anonymous reminiscences.
At the end of the meeting a collection on the door raised over £150
and we also had offers of a second-hand fridge, cooker and freezer.
Within 24 hours we had received both a personal cheque for £500
and the offer of good quality kitchen units.
Please join in this fantastic community effort and do anything you
can to help!
Contacts - For Community Fundraising: Lindsay Murray-Twinn 781497
For Grant Funding: Pepe Keightley 781418
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Again
this month (August 09), Nether Wallop and Over Wallop Parish Councils
would like to thank all those who have generously contributed to the
Wallops Hall Refurbishment Project. We have now received £11,273, which
represents an average of well over £2,000 per month since the start of
the appeal. This is a fantastic result and is making an enormous
difference to the project. As mentioned before, although the amount of
each donation will remain confidential, the names of all the kind donors
who have helped to make the project possible will be on display in the
refurbished hall. We are in discussion with the Charities Aid Foundation
and it is possible that for the life of this refurbishment project,
donations channelled through CAF could qualify for Gift Aid and higher
rate tax relief.
Since
last month’s update we are also very grateful to have received a
generous grant of £30,000 from The Trusthouse Foundation. Along with
the possibility of one or two other grants in the pipeline and the
continuing support of the community, this grant means that (subject to
the approval of the Big Lottery Fund) we are now planning to go ahead
with work on the hall in October.
However,
please don’t imagine this means we already have enough funds to carry
out the project to the standard we would wish. We still need to raise a
minimum of £35,000 to refurbish to the original specifications …..
so, if you haven’t already contributed, we still badly need your help!
Donations of any amount will make a huge difference in helping us
towards our goal – please give as generously as you can as this is our
one chance in several generations to make a lasting difference to life
for everyone in the Wallops.
Please
contact Lindsay Murray-Twinn on 01264 781497 if you are planning a
fundraising event or Pepe Keightley on 01264 781418 if you would like an
update on Gift Aid or details on how to make a donation. Cheques (made
payable to The Wallops Parish Hall) can also be left in the boxes
provided in the Wallop Shop and The Trout. Thank you!
Lindsay Murray-Twinn
Edward Souter
Chairman,
Over Wallop parish Council Chairman,
Nether Wallop Parish Council
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WALLOPS PARISH HALL
REFURBISHMENT
COMMUNITY
FUNDRAISING
Nether Wallop and Over
Wallop Parish Councils would like to thank all those who have given
generous donations to the Hall refurbishment project.
To date, we have received £8,361.00 towards our target of £15,000
raised from public and community fundraising.
Although the amounts of the donations will remain confidential,
we intend to have a plaque in the refurbished hall listing the
names of all the kind donors who had helped to make the project
possible. At this stage, establishing charitable status for the Parish
Hall is not possible, so fundraising will have
to be done without the
benefit of GiftAid.
We are expecting to hear
back from the various funding bodies we have applied to for grants. The
two parish councils have pledged £6,250.00 which will be matched by £18,750.00
by Test Valley Borough Council. In the meanwhile, community fundraising
continues to play a very important part of our initiative to raise
sufficient money to begin our refurbishment.
There are several community fundraising events planned for the
summer.
Our architect, David Relph,
is in the process of analysing submitted tenders and we should have a
proper idea of costs by the end of June.
There will be a Hall Management Committee meeting which will be
followed by a public meeting to update parishioners on the progress of
the project. We will
advertise the date of the meeting throughout the parishes.
We continue to need your
help and generosity to complete this exciting project.
Please contact Lindsay Murray-Twinn – 01264 781497 – if you
are planning a fundraising event. Donations,
no matter how small, will be gratefully received and will go towards our
building project. This is
such an important project to bring life back into our hall and give our
parishioners a warm and comfortable venue for a wide range of community
events.
Lindsay
Murray-Twinn Chairman,
Over Wallop Parish Council Edward
Souter Chairman,
Nether Wallop Parish Council
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COMMUNITY BUILDINGS IN THE SOUTH EAST
Nine communities across the South East are today sharing news that
will offset the economic gloom as over £2.5 million from the Big
Lottery Fund (BlG) is being awarded to regenerate facilities and
revitalise village life. As
small communities struggle through the credit crunch, BIG is offering
vital support with 55 awards worth £18,815,571 for bricks and mortar
investments across England.
The money, from BIG'S Community Buildings programme, will be used to
give village halls and community centres a much-needed facelift, or
rebuild them from scratch.
Also celebrating the good news, the residents of Over Wallop and
Nether Wallop receive a grant of £28,995 to refurbish the Wallops
Parish Hall, with improvements including a new roof, windows,
insulation, damp-proofing, new lighting and heating system.
As well as being more accessible and sustainable, the new building w
ill provide services for the whole community and in particular young
people, elderly and isolated villagers and young parents.
Activities on offer will include dog-training classes, drama and
dance groups, WI, afternoon teas for older residents and a crèche.
Building work will begin in the summer, and it is hoped the new hall
will open next year.
Lindsay Murray-Twinn, Chaiman of the Wallops Parish Hall Management
Committee, said: 'We are delighted to receive the Big Lottery Fund
grant, which will help to regenerate the heart and social life of our
community and give us a building to use with pride.'
"The current building was built in the 1940s, and becomes
cold and damp during the winter, deterring many groups from meeting
there. We hope the grant
will transform our tired old hall into a popular social venue for dances
and weddings as well as activities for the communities of Over Wallop
and Nether Wallop."
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