Leigham-Community-Hall-Roof

Aim

The project is to undertake essential repairs to Leigham Community Hall concentrating initially on refurbishing the roof.

• Introduction

Leigham is an estate of social housing, on the North side of Plymouth, built in the 1970’s.

The only facilities on the estate are a public house, two shops, a hairdresser and a Community Hall. The estate has lacked any investment in infrastructure for many years and includes pockets of deprivation.

The Hall was built by the Church of England alongside a house for a clergyman. It was initially both a Christian centre and Community Hall. However, any religious activity is now occasional. The house was sold off some years ago leaving purely the Community Hall.

The Hall provides the only centre for community activities on the estate, with something taking place most days. Other similar facilities are some distance away located off the estate.

Very little maintenance work has been carried out in recent times, &, because of concerns about the state of the building, a building survey was commissioned by the Church to fully understand what refurbishment work needed to take place. In particular, the roof is badly damaged & needs replacing.

The Project-What we would like to do

The Project is to undertake essential repairs to the Hall to bring it up to an acceptable standard but also to incorporate many improvements, as outlined in the Surveyor's report. Because of the enormity of the task, it has been broken down into manageable phases. The first phase would include the following:

i) New main roof including insulation

ii) Renewal of guttering, down pipes and facias

iii) Installation of solar panels

Other phases will follow when finances allow

Who will Benefit?

The Hall provides a centre for various User groups.  All these groups would benefit from a refurbished hall including:

• 4 Dog training groups.
• Weekly bingo
• Youth group
• Men’s Shed-elderly men’s activities
• Boot camp-training sessions
• Knit & Chatter group

In addition, the public would benefit as there are public events held in the Hall.  Activities include:

• Children’s parties
• Public meetings e.g., Council, Housing Association, Police etc
• Poppy day appeal event
• Polling Station for local & national elections

Key Objectives

i) Bring people together & build strong relationships in & across community.

The area of Leigham has areas of deprivation. The services provided by the Community Hall reduce isolation & increase wellbeing making the Hall an essential community hub & a critical part of the local community. An improved hall will attract more user groups & members of the local community

ii) Improve the places & spaces that matter to communities.

Improving access & facilities for groups of isolated people like the elderly, young moms and toddlers and particularly the disabled. Creating disability facilities in line with the Equality Act 2010 This facility is one of only a few in the area & is well used. With an increasing local population, it needs to be cherished & protected

iii) Healthier and more active people and communities                                                 All the groups that use the Community Hall encourage local people to be more active in the community. Also, specific groups target health issues, particularly mental health & wellbeing

Costs (Budget)

Based on Surveyor’s Estimates-Phase 1

Building refurbishment costs         £52,800

Items as listed in Phase 1 above

Surveyor’s fees-12.5%                      £6,600

VAT @ 20%                                      £11,800

Total Cost                                      £71,200

 Funding

Various grant giving organisations are being approached, including

• National Lottery
• Garfield Weston
• Asda Foundation
• Bernard Sunley Foundation
• Plymouth City Council-City Change Fund

Local fund raising will have to take place, through Crowd Funding, to support the City Change Fund application. The Church will provide funds, if necessary, though its resources are limited.

This project successfully funded on 5th September 2022