Key facts
Area: East of England
Grant recipient: The New Victory Hall
Project: The New Victory Hall
Programme: Community Buildings
Date of award: May 2008
Amount awarded: £177,000
Once upon a time there was a lovely new village hall made from straw bales...sounds a little like a fairy tale? But it’s true! The New Victory Hall based in the Norfolk Broads really is made from straw and the local community based in Neatishead, Irstead and Barton can prove it.
The new hall has replaced the old small and inadequate 104-year-old hall. It took less than 7 months to build the new one, which is a remarkable achievement for a project that has been more than 10 years in the making. The builders faced several unusual challenges, not only did they have to work with straw bales, shredded paper and lime render but they also had to overcome their natural reluctance to allow the local community to get actively involved, being ever mindful of
Health and Safety.
The first open community event was in April 2009 when over 170 people helped move locally harvested straw bales to the building site. The second open community event was in the summer and involved 75 people including most of the Neatishead Primary School who helped to build and render the straw bale meeting room. Their efforts can be seen in the slightly wonky walls but there is a great sense of pride and ownership in the project as a consequence – who needs straight walls in a round room anyway?!
Ian McFayden, Chairman said: "Pioneering the construction of a contemporary village hall using straw bales has been hugely challenging but the many doubts have been overcome and, thanks to the support of the Big Lottery and the local community, we now are fortunate to have a fantastically welcoming building that people say ‘feels right’ when they enter it. The project has enabled us to increase the range of activities and services available locally, people are more environmentally aware and community cohesiveness has improved noticeably so it’s been a great success. Thank you BIG!"
If you would like to find out more about this innovative project please visit www.victoryhall.info