Two small villages in South Somerset will be reaping the
benefits of newly improved village halls thanks to a community
grants scheme.
Pitney and High Ham village halls are the latest to be supported
by South Somerset District Council's Area North community grants
scheme, which aims to help communities help themselves.
The £750 grant to High Ham Village Hall provides the final
funding needed to replace and fully refurbish the toilets, which
were run down with cracked basins.
The community and the parish council have raised the remaining
funds for the £2,500 project, adding to the disabled toilet
installed in recent years.
Pitney Village Hall will be replacing its old plastic chairs
with new, modern seating for the many social and community events
held at the hall, with a £576 contribution from the district
council. The parish council and local residents have raised the
rest towards the £1,300 project.
Cllr Patrick Palmer, Area North Chairman said, "There are small
pockets of funding and we have a grants budget that we use
carefully to help communities progress their own projects. A small
amount can lead to further investment or in these cases, can help
proactive residents to make bigger things happen that will benefit
a lot of people in their areas."
Dave Moore of the Pitney Village Hall Committee said, "We are of
course very appreciative of the financial support we get from South
Somerset District Council which allows us to move forward with long
term plans for the hall. Having recently found an old minutes
book from 50 years ago, it was evident that there was no help at
all then, and one meeting debated hard and long over the price of a
cleaners new duster - how times change."
Gwen Chubb, heading the High Ham Village Hall refurbishments
said, "We're very grateful to the district council as this funding
enables us to do more to keep the hall up to standard and an
excellent place for the community to hold events and continue
fundraising. It's great for our community."
More information on South Somerset District Council's Area North
grants scheme is available from Les Collett, Community Development
Officer on 01935 462249 or leslie.collett@southsomerset.gov.uk