Lottery strengthens communities with new life for old village halls

Area:

West Midlands

Programme:

Community Buildings

Release date:

30 3 2009

At a time of economic challenge English village life is being strengthened as the Big Lottery Fund today announces funding of over £4 million to regenerate and revitalise a range of facilities at the heart of communities throughout the West Midlands.

From Birmingham to Worcestershire, 13 communities in the West Midlands have received grants the Big Lottery Fund’s Community Buildings programme to invest in a makeover of their village hall or community centre or to build a new one to order.

As the challenges of the economic downturn create a high demand on services from voluntary and community organisations, the funding enables towns and villages, many of them isolated or deprived, to develop vital resources to support their local residents and help sustain their community.

John Taylor, Big Lottery Fund West Midlands Head of Region, said: “These buildings are meant to be at the centre of daily life for many people. But in many communities, the halls and centres have either fallen into disrepair or are no longer suitable for modern needs. Today’s grant awards give a boost to local residents by helping them develop a place a where they can meet, get advice or service, learn or play, right in the heart of their town or village. “

Among the grant winners is the New Bridge Community Centre, which features a creative new use for a cherished landmark with its award of £178,507. In a village with no community centre, the 12th-century Grade I-listed St. Andrew’s Church in Bridge Sollars, near Hereford, is about to be transformed as the under-used building while being kept as place of worship will be made more user-friendly and energy-efficient to meet the needs of the residents of the parish, which also includes the villages of Bishopstone, Byford, Mansell Gamage and Kenchester.

John Macklin, Chairman of the New Bridge Community Centre Committee, said: “The award of this Big Lottery Fund grant is the fulfilment of a dream for the people of our small rural parish. After six years of hard work we will now be able to convert part of our beautiful church into a community space that everyone, young and old, can use and enjoy.”

Meeting the needs of an urban population, the Pathways for People Centre is using its £475,000 grant to build a new community centre in Small Heath, Birmingham that will include a 400-seat auditorium, restaurant and lounge. The centre will meet the needs of the area’s multi-ethnic population with a variety of cross-cultural and inter-generational activities, outreach services, adult education classes and youth drop-in facilities.

Rev Dave Lakin of King’s Christian Centre, Chairman of Pathways for People, said:” We are delighted with the success of our grant application. The money, together with resources being provided by King’s Christian Centre, will enable the completion of this exciting project which will be of benefit to the community over the years to come.”

In Staffordshire, a unique partnership that demonstrates how diverse community organisations can work together has been formed to build the new Madeley Village Hall. The planned hall will replace the separate buildings now used as a village hall and scout hut. Its value to the community is made stronger with a link to a complex that will house a post office and the police, which will be funded separately.  

The new village hall is being developed by the residents of Madeley and neighbouring villages through a community-led partnership that includes Staffordshire County Council, Newcastle Borough Council, Madeley Parish Council and Housing 21.

The table below lists all 13 West Midlands awards in today’s announcement.

Further Information

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888
Out of hours contact: 07867 500 572
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030
Textphone: 0845 6021 659

Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Notes to Editors

• Community Buildings is dedicated to investing in buildings that give communities a chance to improve their quality of life and meet local needs, by offering a range of activities and services open to a broad range of people.
• Up to  £50 million is being distributed across England over three years with grants of £50,000 to £500,000 available.
• The programme opened for applications in June 2006. 200 applicants were invited to submit stage 2 applications and development funding was awarded to some projects.
• The programme is now closed for applications.
• The Big Lottery Fund (BIG), the largest distributor of National Lottery good cause funding, is responsible for giving out half the money raised for good causes by the National Lottery.
• BIG is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need and has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since June 2004. The Fund was formally established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
• Since the National Lottery began in 1994, 28p from every pound spent by the public has gone to good causes. As a result, over £22 billion has now been raised and more than 300,500 grants awarded across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.

Community Buildings - West Midlands (13 projects)

Birmingham:

1) All Saints Community Development Company's All Saints Community Centre project is a new multi-purpose building for Kings Heath. This project is part of a three-phased development plan and this grant will result a multi-purpose hall with dining area and meeting rooms.

The project will provide a new building with facilities for after-school drop-ins for education, sports and art, mentoring and services for people with learning disabilities and behavioural problems.  There will also be a lunch club, healthy living and advice sessions in the day centre for elderly people.

Brian Miles of All Saints Community Development Company said: "This grant brings us much closer to our vision of working with our partners and the community to create safe, accessible and attractive facilities at the heart of Kings Heath village. The new building will facilitate and encourage community participation and involvement and will enable a range of new and enhanced provision accessible to the whole community."

2) The Pathways for People Centre new-build project in Small Heath (see page 2 of release).  

3) The Birmingham Community Foundation's Nechells Baths Community Development Project is an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable facility for the residents of the Nechells area of Birmingham. The Nechells Baths Grade II listed building, opened in 1910 with the swimming baths closing in 1995, has been transformed into a community centre. The Community Buildings grant will fund adding extra crèche facilities and additional space for nursery accommodation and community rooms. There will also be a flexible multi-functional space on the first floor.

Derek Inman, Chief Executive of the Birmingham Community Foundation said: “This will make a real difference in a community that needs it, particularly in the current difficult economic times. It will enable us to provide much-needed facilities for training local youths, advisory services and an enhanced crèche where parents can leave their children whilst training for work, obtaining work or learning English spoken as a second language”.

Herefordshire:

1) New Bridge Community Centre in Bridge Sollars, in Bishopstone Parish (see page 1 of release).

Shropshire:

1) Admaston House Community Centre Trust's extension annex to Admaston House Community Centre project in Admaston, near Telford in Shropshire will provide a single-storey extension to an existing facility. The extension will include a new separate entrance, two meeting rooms, toilet block and utility room to house a new boiler.

The annex will be an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable building that will provide services for the whole community and in particular older people, young people, young mothers and disaffected young people.

Graham Hayward, Chairman of Admaston House Community Centre, said: “Admaston House Community Centre is delighted that it has been granted these funds to kickstart its multi-phase development programme.  Co-funding has been contributed by St Christopher's Trust, who will move their operations to Admaston House, delivering extensive work with families and children.  Local schools, colleges, youth work and childcare providers as well as Age Concern and a multitude of arts, drama and music groups, have all been very enthusiastic about the project.”

2) Marton Village Hall's New Village Hall project will see the demolition and replacement of the village hall in Marton, South Shropshire, originally built in 1929 and extended in the 1950s. The new hall will consist of a large main hall, a meeting room with IT facilities, new, fully-equipped kitchen, DDA compliant toilets and a stage.

The new hall will be an environmentally, socially and financially sustainable community facility, with a wide range of services and activities for all sections of the community.

Graham Sheen, Chairman, Marton Village Hall Committee, said: "We are extremely grateful for this award which will enable the construction of the much-needed replacement for the dilapidated Village Hall. It will provide additional facilities and enhance the community spirit of the people of Marton and surrounding villages, inspiring us to greater things."

Staffordshire:

1) Madeley Village Hall's Madeley Community Development Project is a new purpose-built facility in Madeley, Newcastle-under Lyme, Staffordshire. The project includes a main hall with a café, crèche and several multi-use rooms. This new hall will replace the separate buildings used as a village hall and scout hut.

The new village hall will provide local people of all ages from Madeley and the surrounding rural areas with high quality, accessible and appropriate opportunities for leisure, learning and community activities. Developed through a community-led partnership including Staffordshire County Council, Newcastle Borough Council, Madeley Parish Council, Housing 21, and the residents of Madeley and neighbouring villages.

Chairman of Madeley Community Development Project, Roger Goodwin, said: "We're absolutely delighted, and we thank the BIG Lottery Fund for its award. The idea of a joint building, as near carbon-neutral as possible, which physically links a village hall and community hub with an extra care facility is truly innovative. “

Walsall:

1) The 20th Walsall (St Margaret's Great Barr) Scout Group's Great Barr Community Hub will create a new environmentally sustainable building for the residents of Great Barr, Walsall.

The new Hub will provide a venue for residents of all ages to participate in a wide range of activities and services, including a Citizens Advice Bureau, drama groups, antenatal classes, Scouts, Brownies, Guides, a youth club, parent and toddler club, before and after school clubs, adult education classes and local councillor surgeries.

Alan McGarrol, Group Chairman at the 20th Walsall Scout Group, said: “We are absolutely thrilled! Thanks to the Big Lottery Fund, now at last voluntary groups, uniformed organisations and service providers will have their very own base from which to operate and extend their activities. The facilities at the Hub will provide a safe and modern community centre, improving the sense of community and belonging within Great Barr.”

Warwickshire:

1) Hartshill Parish Plan Project's Hartshill Community Centre will be a modernised and extended church hall in Hartshill in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. The refurbishment will include restructuring the entrance hall and toilets to create a café and disabled toilet. The extension will increase library space and add two meeting rooms.

The project will also improve the roof of the main hall roof and create a new-pitched roof for the extension. The result will be a more suitable venue with a wide range of activities for all residents.

John Randle, of the Hartshill Community Centre, said: ”The generous grant from the Big Lottery Fund will allow us to improve and expand the facilities to accommodate even more activities.  Although well used, the existing church hall is tired and in need of some major refurbishment. This work will allow us to host even more events for the community to enjoy. We are particularly looking forward to involving a wide range of age groups in the new facilities with a café style reception area and several new events such as art or photography competitions alongside more practical activities such as health clinics and adult education.”

2) Ratley Village Hall's Hall for the Future is a refurbishment project in Ratley, North Banbury, Warwickshire. The project includes the complete restoration of the hall, including repairing several dilapidated sections in the roof, improving the fabric of the building and incorporating energy-saving technologies to improve financial and environmental sustainability. There will also be a new kitchen, disabled toilets, public area, an additional meeting room and improved public access. The main hall will also be extended to create a stage area and will cater for simultaneous, multi-purpose uses.

This project will provide a modern hall with improved facilities that can serve as the centre of social activity. It will provide a hall that can exist in the long-term as a focus for community provision and offer services to enhance rural life, particularly for those with disabilities and mobility problems.

Robin Flintoff, Chair, Trustees of Ratley Village Hall said: “We are delighted with this award! This result is the culmination of seven years of effort by the whole community. The village hall has been at the core of our social and cultural life for over 70 years but time has taken its toll on the fabric and facilities we are able to provide. This award will ensure a future for continued community life and provide a hall for the future.”

Worcestershire:

1) The Rowney Green Peace Memorial Hall Modernisation Project will refurbish and extend a 50-year-old village hall in Rowney Green, near Alvechurch in Worcestershire. The facility will be financially, socially and environmentally sustainable and will offer activities and services for a village community with no other existing provision.

The project will provide an additional meeting room, a kitchen with wheelchair-accessible work surfaces and sink, new toilets, extra storage and improved access, heating, glazing and insulation.

Will Savage, Chairman, Rowney Green Peace Memorial Hall Management Committee, said: "The villagers of Rowney Green are delighted to have been awarded this grant which will enable our community to benefit enormously for many future generations.  The grant will enable our village hall to provide many activities and services which it was not equipped to provide previously, much of it in an environmentally friendly way.”  

2) The Cropthorne and Charlton Village Hall Refurbishment Project seeks to provide a suitable facility for Cropthorne and Charlton, Worcestershire. The project will restructure the layout and refurbish the main hall to provide a kitchen, meeting room, toilets and entrance lobby.

The project will provide facilities for Pilates, badminton, the Women’s Institute, a junior sports and social clubs, youth groups, gardening group, computer self help, education, office facilities, citizens advice, MP and councillors’ surgery.

Jacqui King, Chairman, Cropthorne and Charlton Village Hall Management Committee said: “We are delighted with our Big Lottery funding which will really benefit people of both villages and the surrounding area.  Our old village hall will be transformed into a multi-use community centre with room for lots of different activities and services. There’s even space for a much-requested shop”.

3) Cookley Playing Fields Association's Cookley Village Hall project will demolish a sports and social club building and replace it with a new multi-functional village hall and social club in Cookley, near Kidderminster, in Worcestershire. The development will enable community activities to take place for the first time since the closure of the old village hall in 2003. The building will include a main hall, two meeting rooms, a reception area, a catering kitchen, storage and toilets. Separate from the main hall will be lounge, bar and a snooker room to replace the existing sports and social club.

The building will be financially, socially and environmentally sustainable and offer a wide range of activities including drama, arts and crafts, martial arts, Brownies and Women’s Institute meetings.

David Bareford, Secretary of Cookley Playing Fields Association, said: “The villagers of Cookley are extremely grateful for the grant from the Big Lottery Fund’s Community Buildings programme that will now allow us to build our community centre. This will induce the many local groups, which had suspended or relocated their activities after the loss of our parish hall some ten years ago, to re-form and return and thus strengthen the community spirit that our village has long been renowned for.”

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