HELP AT HAND FOR VILLAGE HALL MAKE OVERS

A new roof for your village hall, updating the kitchen or improving the hall’s disabled access - Herefordshire Council’s Community Buildings Grant Scheme can help with all these.

This year’s Community Buildings Grant Scheme is now taking applications and can offer grants of up to £15,000.

The grants are available for community buildings across Herefordshire. They can be used to assist with work needed to comply with legal requirements e.g. disability access or Public Entertainment Licenses.

Grants can also be used for extensions to community buildings that will allow additional activity or build on existing activities within your community.

Grants up to £500 are also available to assist towards the cost of feasibility studies for existing facilities.

Last year’s Community Buildings Grant Scheme distributed a total of £50,000 among eight community facilities across the county.

Projects that received support included Preston on Wye Village Hall, which was awarded £20,000 towards the cost of renewing the roof, extending and modernising the toilet facilities and renewing the electric and heating systems.

Funding was also awarded to Ewyas Harold Village Hall to assist with the refurbishment of the lounge and bar area and to the Robert Pashley Memorial Hall for the refurbishment of the village hall in Walford.

“Herefordshire Council wants to help and encourage people to use their village halls and other community buildings,” said Cllr Roy Stockton, Cabinet Member (Community and Social Development).

“The Community Buildings Grant Scheme is there to help communities improve their local facilities and open them up to more members of the community by offering more services and activities in better buildings,” he added.

The closing date for applications for this year’s Community Buildings Grant Scheme is Friday 26th November 2004. Applicants will be informed of Herefordshire Council’s decision by Friday 4th February 2005.

For an application form and further details about the grant scheme criteria please contact Hannah McSherry on 01432 260606 or email: hmcsherry@herefordshire.gov.uk Details about the scheme are also available via the Internet: www.herefordshire.gov.uk