(#647) Repair roof of village hall

Hanslope Village Hall (HVH) near Milton Keynes is a former school constructed in the 1800’s. The hall was repurposed as the village hall in 1974. The building offers users a large hall, small hall, toilets and kitchen. Externally there is an enclosed outdoor activity area and car park. A number of groups use the building each week for kick boxing, drama, dance, exercise and singing. A coffee morning is held fortnightly, and monthly groups include a pop up dentist, a clay group and the Women’s Institute. The building is also popular for private parties.

Over time, and despite ongoing repairs, the roof membrane and battens are failing. This continues to cause an ingress of water. Roof slates are also slipping due to securing nails rusting through. Following a survey, it has been confirmed that replacing the slate nails will not resolve the issue, due to the battens and membrane rotting. Biffa Award has been approached to contribute 64 per cent toward the total cost of replacing the roof, specifically fully funding replacing the roof over the large hall.

The applicant has raised £25,000 through fundraising activities and their own reserves to cover the cost of replacing the roof covering the small hall. Within the area there is a smaller recreation hall, with an emphasis on sport for younger people.