PLEASE NOTE – Waitrose (Wantage) have accepted our application to go into their monthly community scheme. It is most likely to be during July. Each time you shop at Waitrose, they give you a green token and you put it in one of three community project boxes. At the end of the month, Waitrose divide £1,000 between the three community causes based on the number of green tokens put in each box. The more tokens you put in the Charney Bassett Village Hall box, the bigger the slice of £1,000 we will receive!
So shop at Waitrose whenever you can ! Ed.
As many will be aware, the hall has been back in use for some time now but there are still quite a few jobs that need to be done before we can call it “finished”. Some of these are for the builder, who has promised to do them before the end of the month (where have I heard that before?) and a number are for us to do – us being anyone who would like to show a bit of community spirit and help those who have already answered the call. Volunteer work so far has included tiling the kitchen, clearing all the ivy on the back fence, fitting a donated clock to the outside wall, taking down the stone wall that was more weeds than stone, fitting items such as paper towel dispensers, fire extinguishers, door stops, a lean-to shed on the side, refurbishing the metal gate, putting a drain in the gateway to stop a large puddle forming, fitting edging and concreting the entrance. Work still needing volunteers includes building a second lean-to shed, rebuilding the stone wall, spreading stone chippings and fitting fencing at the back to hide the ivy. On the inside, the committee are looking at curtains/blinds, racking in the storeroom, some new stackable chairs, some more tables and coat stands. The hall is more noisy than before and methods of deadening the sound will be investigated.
Other items planned include a bench and small table for the patio and a new village hall sign and noticeboard to go next to the new entrance. These items are being funded with the money donated to thank Peter Davies for all the work he did for the village.It is planned to hold an open evening, to which organisations that gave grants to the hall project will be invited, as well as villagers. The proposed date at the moment is the first or second Thursday evening in September. This could change but please make a note in your diary if you want to be there and the date will be confirmed nearer the time.
The finances for the whole project look good at the moment but please don’t forget the Waitrose community scheme. To quote one of their competitors – every little helps!
Geoff Rumble