02/12/2025
We are very excited to announce that we have now completed all the planning and preparatory work necessary to embark on grant applications to replace the village hall roof, add PV panels and batteries, and install an efficient infra-red heating system. This project will not only secure the building structurally and make it more comfortable and pleasant for everybody to use, but will also vastly improve its energy efficiency and reduce the running costs. The concrete roof tiles will be changed to composite slates to recreate the appearance it had when built and blend in with the surrounding buildings, enhancing the Conservation Area. The PV panels will be ‘in-line’ so they will not be visible from the front.
This has been a very complex and time-consuming process involving consultations with experts in renewable energy, heating, lighting, heritage building repairs, roofers and our surveyor!
The final piece of the jigsaw is securing grant funding to add to our existing fundraising and reserves to fund the project. We have already secured grant funding to complete an energy audit and to install the new LED lighting which is already reducing our energy bills.
A crucial component of grant applications is presenting the project in its community setting; showing who uses the hall, what sort of activities and events take place there, and what it means to the community. You might regularly attend exercise classes there, come to the occasional event, or just walk past it from time to time.
We will shortly be circulating a survey and it is very important that we reflect as many views as possible to support our application. It will be very quick to complete but will form the backbone of our initial approaches to potential grant funders.
Please don’t hesitate to approach any Committee members with questions about the project and as always, if you are interested in joining the Committee at this exciting time, or have any skills which you can share to support us, please get in touch.
Thankyou!
Simon, Fiona, Bob, Miles, Frances & Clare
BVH Committee of Trustees
