Roll up, roll up for Barnham's popular fair

They hope the community event at Murrell's Field on Monday, May 5, will provide another boost to their fundraising for the major project.

The fair will feature the first draw of the 200 club of backers. This sees 200 people agreeing to pay 10 a month towards the project.

A monthly draw will see a member win 1,000 and another 1,000 go to the funds.

Also at the fair, between 2pm and 5pm, will be a bouncy castle, miniature steam train, tractor rides, kids' craft corner, stalls and teas.

The fair comes after about 300 people took the chance to view the centre's plans at the second exhibition weekend.

The turnout last Saturday and Sunday pleased Barnham parish councillors involved in the project to provide 21st-century facilities for the village.

Cllr Terry Bedford, the chairman of the council's project team, said: "We had some very encouraging feedback from those who came along.

"We had a lot of questionnaires completed and our next step is to analyse those and review the design of the hall in the light of that feedback."

Talks were also taking place with the scheme's architect ready for detailed planning permission to be sought from Arun District Council. This was likely to happen before the end of this year, he said.

"We are moving on with this scheme now. There's a real momentum and community spirit around it. There are about 20 individuals involved with the project overall."

The 1.55m community centre scheme involves creating a building which includes a main hall, a community hall capable of being divided into two, a room for a GP's surgery and first-aid clinic and a parish council room.

It will be complemented by an adult and a junior football pitch, a cricket wicket and a fitness trail.

The scheme will take place on Murrell's Field behind the current village hall on Yapton Road.

This dates back some 90 years and is beyond economic repair. Its place would be taken by a mixture of ten houses and flats.