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Willaston Memorial Hall - Rejuvenated

During the summer holidays, the internal rejuvenation of the Memorial Hall in Willaston took place and involved a host of contractors.

Both the main hall and the committee room now have a totally new look and the Trustees are delighted that the feedback received has, in the main, been extremely positive. The work could not have taken place without the successful applications for funding to The Big Lottery Fund (£8,500) and, with the support of Mark and Anita Mitchell and Zoom Zoom Trust, WREN's FCC Community Action Fund (£13,200). WREN is a not-for-profit business that awards grants for community, biodiversity and heritage projects from funds donated by FCC Environment through the Landfill Communities Fund.

The rejuvenated interior of Willaston Memorial Hall

The work was extensive and greater than originally planned due to the generous funding received, but the direct cost to the Hall of the extended project has been much less than projected in the original budget. The project scheduled decorating the main hall and kitchen, and then the ancillary rooms were added (Etienne Decorators). Following the recommendation from our heating engineers last winter, all the radiators in the main hall were replaced with low-heat and energy-efficient units (JF Heating Engineers) and stronger pipe-protection was fitted.

Our internal fire risk assessment identified that the curtains and carpets throughout should be replaced and the opportunity was taken to enhance the ambience of the main spaces (Arnold's Interiors Ltd). The lights in the main hall were also identified as needing replacement and, again, energy-efficient units were installed (Ledsham Electrical Contractors). Finally, it was necessary for the floor to be sanded and re-varnished (On-Site Professional Flooring) which has greatly enhanced the whole hall.

Before the recent works, the interior of the Hall was looking tired.

The surprising success of our grant applications allowed us to further improve the facilities of the Hall and the decision to install Wi-Fi capability earlier in the year proved invaluable with the new equipment. A new sound system including speakers has been installed which allows users to link to their own phone, iPad, tablet, etc and then to play music through the system (PAS Sound Engineering Ltd). The CCTV system was also completely renewed with better imaging and recording (Sonitech Systems Ltd).

Of course, all this work has been achieved working around the bookings of our facilities which had to be honoured as far as possible and we are grateful to our hirers and contractors for their understanding and tolerance, which has enabled us to largely complete the project in the six weeks scheduled. Now, with all the work carried out to the exterior of the building last year and with the internal refurbishment, we believe the Hall is in excellent condition with modern facilities throughout.

Our website continues to receive a healthy volume of hits and is a useful source of information regarding known bookings - see the "Calendar" tab. However, for a definitive answer regarding availability contact our Bookings Secretary.

Residents are reminded that the opening session of our meetings is available to anyone to come along to raise any issues. Our next meeting is on Tuesday 7th November 2017 at 7.30pm. The Trustees are hosting a "Best of British" Soup Lunch on Saturday 11th November - we look forward to seeing you then.

Colin Jerrett
Chair of Committee of Trustees
Willaston Memorial Hall (Reg Charity no 520090)

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