Since the 1960s we have had a village hall in Lakes End. A place where the local community could meet, attend events and regular activities.

The hall has always been run by a voluntary committee, on behalf of the village residents, who looked after the hall, kept it clean and raised money via fund-raising events to keep it going. That hasn't changed. The current committee still takes its job very seriously, but the difference between the committee of 2023 and that committee of 1968 is that now the hall is in need of critical repairs to keep it standing.

The building itself is a WWII pre-fab. Over the years the damp has got in, the roof started leaking and the tree roots from the trees planted behind began to grow underneath the hall, making the floor unstable. The drains collapsed and the toilets stopped working. During 2022 we used grant money that we were lucky enough to get during Covid, to make some of these vital repairs. The toilets have been completely renovated, the roof has been scraped and pitched, which will temporarily stop the leaks, the drains to the cess pit have been repaired and we have had two of the trees behind the hall removed. Some areas of damp have been repaired and we have had a disabled ramp added to the front of the hall, making wheelchair access much easier.

But unfortunately there are still lots of necessary repairs that need to be done to make sure our village has its community hub for many years to come. Secure railings need to replace the temporary fencing around the disabled ramp, the front door needs replacing to make it wheelchair-friendly, the main hall floor needs restoring, the ceiling and lights in the hall need replacing and further trees just behind the building need to come down to remove the risk of them falling onto the hall. The building needs repainting inside and out and the car park area need extending and fencing.

This extensive list will take time and money, as we know Rome wasn't built in a day, and as the hall is a charity it relies solely on donations, rents, grants and what we can raise by running events.

Which is why we are asking for donations, however small, to keep our village hall the hub of the community. A place to meet, to take part in the clubs that are running at the hall, such as art, patchwork and quilting and card-making classes, or have fun at our Easter and Christmas Fayres and future beer festivals.

Why not help us by having a coffee morning or a sponsored dog walk and raise donations for our hall?

Together we Can Raise Funds for OUR Village Hall. Thank you.