Refurbished hall 'tribute to village spirit'

THE last few months have witnessed a transformation in the appearance of Ringmer village hall and on Saturday chairman Alan West welcomed residents to the newly refurbished building.

The project has cost 220,000 and taken just over two years to complete since fund-raising started in June, 2000. At a ceremony to celebrate its completion, the Rev Duncan MacLean and the Rev Canon Will Pratt, representing the local churches, offered prayers and a dedication.

People later enjoyed refreshments provided by Ringmer Baptist Church.

Said Mr West: 'We are fortunate to live in a community in which people are prepared to work together and give generously of their time and money for causes like this.

'The success of the project shows how central the hall is to village life.'

He paid tribute to the support of the Community Fund, the parish and district councils and other donors without whom such a large-scale refurbishment would not have been possible.

Of the Community Fund he added: 'Their support has been vital. Not only did they provide a grant of 137,000, they have also been very helpful and a pleasure to work with throughout the course of the project.'

New windows, doors and roofing works have been undertaken, but it is inside that the most eye-catching changes have been made.

Most of the interior has been re-decorated and all the furniture has been renewed; heating, lighting and soundproofing has been replaced, the sound system and hearing loops renewed, floors resurfaced and new curtains and blinds installed. The net result is that the village now has a much more welcoming, comfortable and well appointed building for everyone to use.

At the last count, more than 30 organisations had regular bookings alongside a regular stream of private bookings.

With much improved facilities, plays, concerts and other performances can hopefully look forward to even bigger audiences. A special effort is being made to attract business users looking to hire day-time conference and meeting facilities.

The project has received grants from the Community Fund, 137,000; Ringmer Parish Council, 14,600; Lewes District Council, 10,000 and nearly 20,000 from other charitable foundations.

More than 25,000 has been raised by local people and the remainder (over 16,000) has been met from the village hall's reserves. The last major work carried out was in 1975 when a modern extension was added to the original 19th century building at a cost of 50,000.