St Mary’s Church Hall Regeneration, St Mary’s Church, Kingswinford, nr. Dudley

This is a project to install new windows with electric openers, mould removal, and repainting of all common areas in church hall.

The hall facilities need to be updated in an effort to support the wide ranging of community users who hire the space. The church has already completed a full overhaul and redecoration of the bathrooms, improved accessibility and equipment, but now need to focus on the large hall space, which is becoming increasingly difficult to manage, with broken windows and damp, resulting in mould.

The aim is for the hall space to be open, accessible and useful for the community. The space is booked out multiple times each week. However, the church is currently facing challenges with the hall’s maintenance, after not been updated in almost 30 years. There are 35 windows in the building, some of which are high up and therefore operate on a pully system which is now broken, deeming the windows unusable. During the summer months, many users, especially the active classes, are in an extremely uncomfortable situation of not having fresh air unless opening a fire door, which is a potential safety risk. Due to the lack of air circulation within the hall, it is now experiencing mould on the walls which creates a health hazard for the people using the space, particularly those who are more vulnerable. The plan is to treat the mould and repaint the hall space.