Fundraising 2015
For 2015 only we have decided to prioritise Exton village causes rather than directing the majority of our fundraising towards a major national charity. While the final decision on allocation of what we raise will take place after the festival when all donations are in and all bills paid, we anticipate our donations going to three local causes:
- Exton Pensioners Christmas Fund - providing a little bit extra for all the villagers over pensionable age at Christmas.
- Playground Action Group Exton PAGE - supporting the latest development for our village play area.
- Exton Village Hall redevelopment - providing the seed corn for a National Lottery bid to refurbish the Hall.
While few could find fault with the Pensioners' Fund or PAGE donations it seems fair that a little more detail is available in respect of the Village Hall redevelopment.
Exton Village Hall was established in 1932 as a trust for the purpose of “physical and mental recreation and social, moral and intellectual development” of our community. The Hall is owned by the trust, now a registered charity no. 522340, which is operated by a Management Committee of volunteers. It's a fairly typical example of its kind, essentially being the original 30s building with improvements made gradually over the years. The facilities consist of one main function room, a smaller room suitable for meetings, a fairly well appointed kitchen (improved with the aid of lottery funding a couple of years ago), a toilet block and a store room which doubles as a band practice room. Although the structure is generally sound the Hall suffers from poor insulation and a very dated appearance, especially in the two function rooms which have very dark softwood panelled interior wall cladding with a thin insulating layer behind. The toilets date from the 1980s and are pretty basic with a cold uninviting appearance. The following photographs give some idea of this:
- Exton Pensioners Christmas Fund - providing a little bit extra for all the villagers over pensionable age at Christmas.
- Playground Action Group Exton PAGE - supporting the latest development for our village play area.
- Exton Village Hall redevelopment - providing the seed corn for a National Lottery bid to refurbish the Hall.
While few could find fault with the Pensioners' Fund or PAGE donations it seems fair that a little more detail is available in respect of the Village Hall redevelopment.
Exton Village Hall was established in 1932 as a trust for the purpose of “physical and mental recreation and social, moral and intellectual development” of our community. The Hall is owned by the trust, now a registered charity no. 522340, which is operated by a Management Committee of volunteers. It's a fairly typical example of its kind, essentially being the original 30s building with improvements made gradually over the years. The facilities consist of one main function room, a smaller room suitable for meetings, a fairly well appointed kitchen (improved with the aid of lottery funding a couple of years ago), a toilet block and a store room which doubles as a band practice room. Although the structure is generally sound the Hall suffers from poor insulation and a very dated appearance, especially in the two function rooms which have very dark softwood panelled interior wall cladding with a thin insulating layer behind. The toilets date from the 1980s and are pretty basic with a cold uninviting appearance. The following photographs give some idea of this:
The Hall is actually very well used from both a sport, health and general leisure viewpoint, with the following regular sessions:
The problem is funding. On an annual basis the Hall takes in just about enough rental income to pay for the routine running costs. Any improvement projects or extraordinary maintenance items need to be funded externally, hence the need for an application to the National Lottery. However experience tells us that Lottery grants usually require the beneficiaries to prove that they have made a significant contribution themselves.
FUNDS RAISED FROM EXTONBURY, TOGETHER WITH THE HALL'S OWN FUNDING FROM RESERVES WILL FORM THE CONTRIBUTION WE MUST MAKE TO ENSURE A SUCCESSFUL BID!
- Weekly - Indoor bowls team, Pilates exercise group, Tone and Stretch exercise group, Hatha yoga group, life art class, band rehearsals;
- Monthly: Rutland Scale Model Club, Ladies Circle
- Plus many other events both regular and ad hoc, either meeting in the Hall itself or using the toilet facilities for village outdoor events such as the annual village open day (Exton Day) and of course Extonbury
- Remove the old interior cladding in both rooms and replace with a more brightly decorated plastered finish with a modern level of insulation behind it.
- Improve the insulation in the roof space.
- Refit the two very tired and "municipal" looking washrooms with modern cubicles & sanitary fittings for a hugely improved experience for users.
- Improve the lighting in the main function room to make it more attractive for parties and other events (we currently have no dimmable lighting).
- Install new modern blinds to all windows
- Improve our stock of furniture & fittings e.g. purchase removable chair covers to allow a more presentable appearance and promote the use of the Hall for social functions.
The problem is funding. On an annual basis the Hall takes in just about enough rental income to pay for the routine running costs. Any improvement projects or extraordinary maintenance items need to be funded externally, hence the need for an application to the National Lottery. However experience tells us that Lottery grants usually require the beneficiaries to prove that they have made a significant contribution themselves.
FUNDS RAISED FROM EXTONBURY, TOGETHER WITH THE HALL'S OWN FUNDING FROM RESERVES WILL FORM THE CONTRIBUTION WE MUST MAKE TO ENSURE A SUCCESSFUL BID!
