New lease of life for St Hilary hall
IT’S a classic ‘chocolate box’ village scene – narrow and leafy village lanes, a 16th century thatched roof pub, a 12th century church and historic stone-built houses at every turn.
A horse-drawn carriage would fit snugly into the scene – and, in fact, visitors to picturesque St Hilary, near Cowbridge, will often find themselves sharing the road with a pony and trap.
The casual visitor will sigh in admiration and wonder what could be missing from such a glorious gem of a village?
Well, up until recently, the missing piece in the jigsaw was a working village hall.
“It was damp, decrepit, veering towards derelict in places and didn’t give anyone the slightest encouragement to use it,” hall trustee David Hawkins admitted.
“Today, though, the story is so very different and we now have a village hall we can be proud to call our own.”
The transformation has been sparked by a grant of £48,267 from CFAP – the Welsh Assembly Government’s Community Facilities and Activities Programme.
“And I am glad to say the Welsh Assembly Government’s money has been put to very good use,” said Mr Hawkins.
“We now have a hall which has been transformed and is a huge asset to the local population of some 250 souls.
“The transformation has been amazing. When you walked into this hall before, you could smell, almost taste, the damp. It didn’t encourage anyone to use it.
“Now it is fresh and alive, once again. It has been given a new lease of life and the villagers are proud to able to use it to full advantage once again.”
The renovation work on the St Hilary Hall included re-roofing the kitchen and toilet extension, damp-proofing, new internal walls, replastering and redecorating throughout and a new expanded entrance for disabled access.
“Happily, the standard of workmanship here has been high,” said Mr Hawkins. “And the tongue-and-groove woodwork features inside the hall retain the building’s original character.
“It has been a breath of fresh air for the village and it is now very busy with everything from Women’s Institute meetings to flower arranging clubs.
“The village community support police officer is able to hold meetings here and the kitchen is a huge asset, allowing us to stage many events.
“Quizzes are very popular and the hall is obviously very useful for the church next door to hold events.
“A recent addition to the programme of events is an arts club and we are now able to consider a whole host of different events and functions to keep the hall busy.
“Fostering community spirit is so very important in this day and age. None of us is getting any younger and we all need to look out for each other.
“The hall - and the facilities it offers the whole village - plays an important role in developing that community spirit which binds us all. It is a huge asset to the village of St Hilary and I am sure it will go from strength to strength.”
If you would like to book the village hall, you can contact Carolyn Lyons on 01446 774890.
CFAP - The Community Facilities and Activities Programme is a grant scheme operated by the Welsh Assembly Government to help community or voluntary organisations provide facilities or carry out activities which will promote the regeneration of communities. Since its launch in 2002 CFAP has proved to be a highly successful grant programme. A total of £64 million has been awarded to 660 projects across the length and breadth of Wales.
Projects have included the refurbishment of church and village halls, work to make community properties accessible to the disabled, buying part of a former airfield for community use and restoring historic buildings for community use.
The CFAP is run from The Welsh Assembly Government’s Merthyr Tydfil office - Communities Facilities and Activities Programme (CFAP), Communities Directorate, Welsh Assembly Government, Merthyr Tydfil Office, Rhydycar, Merthyr Tydfil, CF48 1UZ
Welcome to the hall: Pictured outside the St Hilary Village Hall are trustee David Hawkins and his wife Marian.
Press release issued by Robert Lloyd on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government.
A horse-drawn carriage would fit snugly into the scene – and, in fact, visitors to picturesque St Hilary, near Cowbridge, will often find themselves sharing the road with a pony and trap.
The casual visitor will sigh in admiration and wonder what could be missing from such a glorious gem of a village?
Well, up until recently, the missing piece in the jigsaw was a working village hall.
“It was damp, decrepit, veering towards derelict in places and didn’t give anyone the slightest encouragement to use it,” hall trustee David Hawkins admitted.
“Today, though, the story is so very different and we now have a village hall we can be proud to call our own.”
The transformation has been sparked by a grant of £48,267 from CFAP – the Welsh Assembly Government’s Community Facilities and Activities Programme.
“And I am glad to say the Welsh Assembly Government’s money has been put to very good use,” said Mr Hawkins.
“We now have a hall which has been transformed and is a huge asset to the local population of some 250 souls.
“The transformation has been amazing. When you walked into this hall before, you could smell, almost taste, the damp. It didn’t encourage anyone to use it.
“Now it is fresh and alive, once again. It has been given a new lease of life and the villagers are proud to able to use it to full advantage once again.”
The renovation work on the St Hilary Hall included re-roofing the kitchen and toilet extension, damp-proofing, new internal walls, replastering and redecorating throughout and a new expanded entrance for disabled access.
“Happily, the standard of workmanship here has been high,” said Mr Hawkins. “And the tongue-and-groove woodwork features inside the hall retain the building’s original character.
“It has been a breath of fresh air for the village and it is now very busy with everything from Women’s Institute meetings to flower arranging clubs.
“The village community support police officer is able to hold meetings here and the kitchen is a huge asset, allowing us to stage many events.
“Quizzes are very popular and the hall is obviously very useful for the church next door to hold events.
“A recent addition to the programme of events is an arts club and we are now able to consider a whole host of different events and functions to keep the hall busy.
“Fostering community spirit is so very important in this day and age. None of us is getting any younger and we all need to look out for each other.
“The hall - and the facilities it offers the whole village - plays an important role in developing that community spirit which binds us all. It is a huge asset to the village of St Hilary and I am sure it will go from strength to strength.”
If you would like to book the village hall, you can contact Carolyn Lyons on 01446 774890.
CFAP - The Community Facilities and Activities Programme is a grant scheme operated by the Welsh Assembly Government to help community or voluntary organisations provide facilities or carry out activities which will promote the regeneration of communities. Since its launch in 2002 CFAP has proved to be a highly successful grant programme. A total of £64 million has been awarded to 660 projects across the length and breadth of Wales.
Projects have included the refurbishment of church and village halls, work to make community properties accessible to the disabled, buying part of a former airfield for community use and restoring historic buildings for community use.
The CFAP is run from The Welsh Assembly Government’s Merthyr Tydfil office - Communities Facilities and Activities Programme (CFAP), Communities Directorate, Welsh Assembly Government, Merthyr Tydfil Office, Rhydycar, Merthyr Tydfil, CF48 1UZ
Welcome to the hall: Pictured outside the St Hilary Village Hall are trustee David Hawkins and his wife Marian.
Press release issued by Robert Lloyd on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government.
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