STADHAMPTON COMMUNITY BUILDING PROJECT
Creating a village hall as well as a church
Aims of the project:
| To provide the residents of Stadhampton with an aesthetically pleasing, practical place to meet.
But this is not just about bricks and mortar; we aim to build a caring and cohesive community and to do that we need a community building. |
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The Need
Stadhampton has not had a village hall since the 1960's when its old hall had to be demolished. As a result it lost a major focal point for social interaction; some say it lost its heart! We can use the school hall but this is limited and only available in the evenings and at weekends. There is nowhere to go for large social activities during the day.The Consultation
| From December 2008 to February 2009, approximately 65 families were interviewed face-to-face. Using the same questions, questionnaires were sent to every (400) household in the village with the parish magazine. Of these, 20 questionnaires were completed. This gave us responses from 85 households, representing the views of 201 people (that's 25% of the population of the Stadhampton and its environs). |  |
Questions
Questions were asked about the following issues:
- Whether people felt there was a need for a village hall.
- If there was, what types of facilities did people wish to be included;
- what was the level of interest in various activities;
- what were the pros and cons of the two locations identified, and
- how much support were people willing to offer?
Results
An open meeting was arranged on 25th April 2009 (in the school hall) to report on the findings of the consultation to the community and to discuss the way forward.
Need for a hall
The exercise demonstrated that 89% of respondents said they wanted a village hall.
Location
At the meeting there was a great deal of discussion about the two possible options that had been identified (i.e. using the Pavilion site or modifying the Church). As there was unanimous agreement at the meeting on the need for the village hall, it was felt that modifying the church would obviate the need for a new building. There was no appetite for the costs involved in a new building and it would also preserve a much loved listed, building which has been at the heart of the community for over 900 years. The pavilion option was discounted as being too far from the centre of the village, very isolated and a high risk for vandalism. "I think that the church and the village hall are the heart of the village. If these two are combined you have a win/win situation."
A report of this meeting was made in the June 2009 edition of the parish magazine to ensure the all households were informed of the decision taken and villagers were invited to comment. As no comments were forthcoming, agreement was assumed.
Activities
| The top ten activities people wanted to see in the new hall were:
Volunteers willing to organise events/activities Very importantly, for those who were happy to give their names, the consultation also provided people willing to organise new events and help with the project by way of giving their time or expertise. Volunteers offered to help with:
Copies of letters of support to run new activities/use the new hall, have so far been received for:
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The Challenge
We need to raise approximately £325,000 for the professional fees involved, to do the building work and provide the necessary equipment:
The Building work:
- Toilets
- Kitchen
- Bring in services (water, waste pipes etc.)
- Replace the Floor
- Improve the Heating
- Provide mood Lighting
- Improve Access along the drive
Equipment:
- Comfortable/flexible seating
- Tables
- Audio visual technology
Ongoing consultation
Following the initial consultation meeting in April 2009, the committee met with a specialist architect to start the process of drawing up plans to see how best to modify the Church. These have been refined over time with continuous feedback from villagers and related authorities. The plans have been on display are various events in the village and are on permanent display in the Church (the key is always available from The Crown). A small number of concerns were raised and resolved in this way. The biggest concern related to secular activities taking place within in a church and the times the hall would be used. These issues were discussed at length at another open meeting held on 18th October 2010 where many examples of similar projects were demonstrated to be highly successful and it was agreed that a well constructed Hiring Agreement would ensure that only appropriate activities took place within the facility and at certain times. This seemed to satisfy those expressing concern. The issue of car parking was also discussed at this meeting and with the Parish Council and it has been agreed that nylon meshing would be fitted under the grass on the village Green adjacent to the Church to reinforce the ground. A coffee morning to meet the committee is planned for early in 2012 so watch this space. Regular updates will continue to be given in the parish magazine until the project is completed but please get involved - we need your help?
The Church
| Records show that there has been a church on the present site for over 900 years;
like many others, St. John the Baptist Church was modified substantially in the Georgian and Victorian eras.
It is currently seeing diminishing numbers in its congregation.
The vicar and the Parochial Church Council are keen to broaden the church activities to the wider community.
The church building is sound but it does not have any mains water or drainage. It stands empty for six days a week.
The Project will generate many benefits which the church parishioners have been denied and will value in coming years - improved heating and lighting, toilet and kitchen facilities. Additionally, members of the Church community will find the improvements to access, not only within the Church but also along the long access driveway, beneficial. |
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How will we do it?
It was clear from the outset that attempting to raise this sum of money could only be achieved by using a variety of approaches. A fund raising strategy was therefore developed which includes:
- Local fundraising efforts and individual pledges
- Gifts in kind from the local community
- Applying to statutory bodies
- Applying to grant making bodies
Watch out for local fundraising events in the Parish Magazine where we will also give a regular update of progress. If you have any ideas about fundraising or if you would like to help in any way, please get in touch with any member of the committee - see below for contact details.
The Community Building Project Committee comprises:
| Committee Member | Telephone | email address |
|---|---|---|
| Ann Stead (Chairman) | 01865 891174 | |
| Cheryl Wilson (Secretary) | 01865 400272 | |
| David Fordham | 01865 400676 | |
| Liz Eales (Parish Council Rep) | 01865 891187 | |
| Philip Owen (Treasurer) | 01235 555223 | |
| Rosalind Wilson | 01865 890535 | |
| Sandra Tebby (PCC Rep) | 01865 890790 | |
| Stephen Dawson | 01865 890079 |
Please ring any one of us if you would like to discuss the project or send us an email?
Or if you would like to make a donation, please make cheques payable to the Community Building Project. Send any correspondence to:
The Secretary,
Cheryl Wilson,
The White House,
Thame Road,
Stadhampton,
Oxon, OX44 7TP