Our Plans
Firstly some thank you's
Over the past 10 years we have invested over £100,000.00 in the Village Hall. This has enabled us to paint the outside; replace windows; install a new kitchen; renew part of the roof; install new toilets and a disabled toilet; improve the access; put in new lighting and fixtures and fittings; fit a full fire alarm system; insulate the loft; purchase a new portable stage; install WiFi and a new sound system; decorate the hall and sand and varnish the floor.
A lot of people have worked very hard to achieve this. See below for more information.
Fundraising
The work would not have been possible without some money to fund it! Thank you to everyone who has supported our fundraising events: Big Breakfasts; Christmas Soup and Pud Lunches; Kitty Brown's Fashion Shows; Pie and Pea Evening; Pop Up Cafes; New Year's Day Swims. And to everyone who has donated raffle prizes for various do's and bought and sold tickets. Over the past 10 years we have raised over £36,000.00 (Wow!!).
Thank you also to all organisations and individuals who have provided grants and donations:
Ambler Family Trust; Anne Clifford legacy; Awards for All; Cumbria Community Foundation; Cumbria County Council; Cumbria Waste Management; Eden Community Fund; Eden District Council; Eden Housing Association (ECHO); Frieda Scott Trust; Hadfield Trust; Hodgson Brothers Mountain Relay; Johnstone Paints; Lake District National Park Authority; Lloyds Bank; Morrisons Supermarket; Patterdale Parish Council; Persimmon Homes.
And thank you to the families of Anne Gibson and Mayson Wear for their donations. Anne and Mayson supported the Village Hall in lots of different ways over many years. Thank you.
Grants and donations have provided over £80,000.
What next?
Yes, it doesn't stop here. We have big plans and little plans which include:
* Improvements to the entrance hall.
* Outside storage for tables, chairs, etc.
* Small meeting room in the old downstairs toilets.
* A larger stage with curtains and lighting.
* More work on the roof and repainting the windows.
* Renewing the fire doors.
The main players who have made the vision possible
2007 - 2011
Painting of outside walls James Sowerby
New external kitchen door George Ware and John Burrell
Oil tank replaced
And serious fund raising going on: Irish Nights, Fashion Shows, Golden Goal Football Draw, Big Breakfasts, ABBA Night, Christmas Soup and Pud Lunches and Kate Jackson's Sponsored Walk along Hadrian's Wall.
2012 - 2014
New kitchen fitted Renwick Bros, Penrith
Grants for fridge, hot cupboard, bain
marie and pots and pans
Dishwasher donated.
New double glazed windows Alan Bell, Newbiggin
Stage dismantled by Richard Kelso, Graham
Kelso, Robin Lightfoot, Paul Edgar, Kevin
Jackson, Thomas Jackson after judged to be unsafe
Portable stage purchased
New disabled ramp and disabled toilet Renwick Bros, Penrith
Car park levelled John Bennett, Troutbeck
Disabled parking space G Graham, Gilsland
Thermafleece Loft Insulation Josh Newell
2015 - 2017
Reslating of half of main roof Ted and John Potter, Orton
More windows replaced Alan Bell, Newbiggin
New cellar doors Renwick Bros, Penrith
Flood defences for basement doors Alliance Flood Solutions
New internal lighting Furness Electricals
Full fire alarm system Beacon Fire Protection
New floor boards Stanley's Joinery, Keswick
Sanding of main hall floor Border Floors, Carlisle
Relocating of ladies' and gents' toilets R Gaskell & K Ormandy, Keswick
Conrad Slack, Keswick
Darren Oswald, Keswick
Stanley's Joinery
Repainting of main hall Rob Wilson and
(Paint donated by Johnstone's Paints) JK Decorating Services
New window blinds West Coast Blinds
PA system/hearing loop Livewire Systems
improvements from 2018
Practical stuff
James Sowerby Painting of external doors and windows
and painting in the cottage
Graham Kelso Electricials Full NIC Inspection
Improvements to the cottage: Loft insulation and new heaters
New front door fitted
Windows replaced
Davidson Damp Proofing: Work on damp in the cottage.
John Potter Roofing: Work on the Hall roof and new sky light
in the cottage
Austin Kelso & Sons: New wood burning stove in the cottage
Arches Carpets: New carpets/ flooring in the cottage
Simon Bell: New fire doors
Lots more fund raising over the winter
Will you join us for our New Year's swim/dip which raises money for the Village Hall? Or if you prefer indoor activities, over the autumn and winter months of 2021 we are planning our Big Breakfast, Music Evenings, a Theatre Night and the Golden Age of the Silver Screen ..... and lots more. Keep an eye on our What's On page.
Weddings
Our first local wedding receptions took place in the Village Hall in 2018. These were followed by two more wedding receptions in 2019 and bookings in 2020 and 2021.
Congratulations and best wishes to all the happy couples.