Folksworth, Washingley & Morborne Village Hall has been subject to a major extension and refurbishment project costing over £200,000. Developments have included replacing the heating and lighting systems, replacing existing toilet facilities, adding new storage spaces, creating a separate new meeting room to increase capacity at the hall and improving accessibility for all.
Left to Right: John Blair (SBA Architects), Cherry Hadley, Sarah Abbott, Janet Rome, Annette Gedney, Annie Blair and Rick Turner (Andy Knott Construction)
The refurbishment was made possible following a major fundraising campaign by the Hall’s volunteer management committee. The trustees were one of the first village hall committees in the country to receive money from the new Village Hall Improvement Grant Fund, managed by ACRE on behalf of Defra. The fund was established by the Government to mark the centenary of the Armistice. Folksworth, Washingley & Morborne Village Hall received £33,176 from the fund.
Other major contributors to this project were Augean Community Fund (£50,000), Amey Community Fund (£40,000) and a significant contribution from the Parish Council. The local community raised over £40,000 through donations and fundraising, over many years, to ensure the project went ahead.
Seeing our project come to fruition has been a realisation of determined optimism by the trustees and supporting community. The improvements and modernisation of the hall ensures we have a viable community asset for years to come. We cannot thank our grant providers, donors and supporters enough for all the assistance they have provided.
We are so pleased the trustees have been able to complete this refurbishment project. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to see a large-scale project like this through to completion. We congratulate the trustees and the wider community on their success.
