The
second and final stage of the present
project to refurbish the Village Hall is
complete, paid for in the main by grants.
Earlier:
Stage
two, costing just over £36,000,
involved external work only. It saw the
creation of an extended car park area to
the east of the hall, and a new footpath
on the west side. Then all the panels on
the outside of the original hall were
replaced, new insulation installed, and
the original structural and decorative
timbers restored or replaced. Window
frames were renovated, and re-puttied, and
the whole of the old exterior
re-decorated.
When
the exterior panels were removed, a
tongued and groved wood surface was
revealed -- in great condition, despite
having been in place for more than eighty
years. Sadly, the wood was not of the
right stuff for long-term protection
against the weather, so the planned new
panels covered it up again, although not
before insulation was slipped into place
behind the wood.
Funding
for the work came from WREN, Waste
Recycling Environmental, which operates a
landfill tax scheme for the waste disposal
plant at Newton Longville; Bedfordshire
and Luton Community Foundation, which
awards grants from Luton Airport Community
Trust Fund, part of the Airport's
Community Engagement Programme; and
LEADER, the Rural Development Programme
for England*,
which gives community grants partly from
Government, and partly from EU Commission
monies.
The
work was in the hands of Tofield Ltd, of
Bletchley, who successfully tendered for
the contract. Tofield Ltd was the
contractor for the first stage of the hall
refurbishments carried out in 2008.
*
LEADER - The
Rural Development Programme for England
(RDPE) is funded by Defra and the EU
through the European Agricultural Fund for
Rural Development (EAFRD): Europe
investing in rural areas.
|
Stewkley-born
tv star Al Murray, the Pub Landlord,
performed at a packed Village Hall
fund-raiser. More than 200 folk laughed
their way through a three-parter destined
next to be performed at the Edinburgh
Festival.
LEADER
(The Rural Development Programme for
England*)
