Bruisyard, Suffolk

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Project to build a Village Hall for Bruisyard

 

The Parish Council and Village Hall Committee are extremely grateful to the following for their generous funding to build a village hall in Bruisyard. A very big thank you to;

 

  • The Big Lottery Fund, Community Buildings Programme (see press release and article published in the East Anglian Daily Times on 3 April 2008)
  • Suffolk County Council, Corporate Regeneration Fund
  • Suffolk Coastal District Council, Capital Grant Aid (see article in East Anglian Daily Times on 22 September 2008)
  • ScottishPower Green Energy Trust
  • Suffolk Environmental Trust
  • The Garfield Weston Foundation
  • Bruisyard Social Amenities Committee (BSAC)
  • Suffolk County Council Locality Budget (Councillor Colin Hart)
  • Alde Community Council
  • Bruisyard Parish Council

 

The additional grants awarded in 2010 are;

 

  • R.A.O.B. Kenneth Walker Lodge
  • The Adnams Charity

 

Construction of the village hall by Simmons Builders Ltd started on 18 March 2009 and was completed in January 2010. The architect for the village hall was Robert Smith of CBM Smith & Partners who lives in Bruisyard.

 

If you wish to make a donation to the village hall fund, please click here to download the donation letter from Peter Robinson, Chairman of Bruisyard Parish Council. Thank you.

 

Background:

 

Until the Village Hall was completed in January 2010, Bruisyard did not have a shop, pub or any other community building other than the small vestry attached to St. Peters' Church. The vestry has only very limited space and no facilities apart from electric lighting and is suitable for holding only small meetings. The Parish Plan completed in 2005 identified strong support for building a community centre for the village on the Parish Park. The Parish Park is in the centre of the village and was purchased by the Parish Council in 1995. This land was previously a waste storage area for old trucks and machinery and has been transformed over recent years into an attractive park which is widely used by residents and visitors.

 

In response to the Parish Plan, the Parish Council formed a Village Hall Committee with the objective of providing a community centre for the village which meets the current and future needs of the residents and potential user groups, is financially and economically sustainable, and has minimal environmental impact. The aim of the Village Hall is to support and foster a broad range of activities to enhance the quality of life for everyone living in the community, covering all age groups, stimulating greater social interaction and community involvement, and actively supporting social inclusion.

 

Click here to see a photographic record of the build from the start in March 2009 to it's completion in January 2010.

 

How the funding was raised;

 

To seek funding for the project, the Committee submitted a Stage 1 application form to the Big Lottery Fund/Community Buildings Programme in August 2006. In February 2007, the Committee received the fantastic news that our application had been successful and that we were invited to submit a Stage 2 application. We were also awarded a development grant to cover the costs of the necessary ground surveys, professional fees and local authority planning/building control fees. Planning permission was granted by Suffolk Coastal District Council on 13 November 2007 and the Stage 2 application to the Big Lottery Fund/Community Buildings Programme was submitted on 15 November 2007. On 31 March 2008, the Big Lottery Fund announced the award of £187,218 to Bruisyard Parish Council to build the village hall. The Parish Council have also allocated £300 towards the build costs and BSAC (Bruisyard Social Amenities Committee) has awarded £1000 which has been raised from events held in the village. The Alde Community Council have also awarded a grant of £250. 

 

On 24 July 2008, the Parish Council received the excellent news that Suffolk County Council had awarded the project £20,000 from the Corporate Regeneration Fund and on 15 August, Suffolk Coastal District Council granted an award of £10,000 from the Capital Grant Aid scheme.

 

Tender responses were received from the potential contractors on 20 October 2008 which showed that further funding raising would be needed before the building work can begin.

 

In December 2008, ScottishPower Green Energy Trust awarded a grant of £9825 towards the cost of the Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) and solar panel installation. Our hope is that the village hall will become a reference site for these innovative heating technologies which will become increasingly important, particularly in rural areas which have no access to a mains gas supply.

 

In February 2009, the Suffolk Environmental Trust awarded a grant of £27,325 to cover the cost of the electrical installation in the hall and to move the overhead power cables which cross the site where the hall was to be built. Also in February 2009, the Garfield Weston Foundation awarded a grant of £5000 which was used towards the cost of floor and wall tiling.

 

The funding having been secured, the main contractors, Simmons Builders Limited, started work on site on 18 March 2009 and the hall and car park was completed in January 2010. At last, Bruisyard has a village hall after a gap of 40 years since the old Iron Room was pulled down.

 

We are very grateful to the Big Lottery Fund, Suffolk County Council, Suffolk Coastal District Council, ScottishPower Green Energy Trust, Suffolk Environmental Trust, The Garfield Weston Foundation, BSAC and the Alde Community Council for all their help and support in this project.

 

In 2010, additional grants were awarded from The Adnams Charity to cover the cost of installing a fence and gate in the car park, and from R.A.O.B. Kenneth Walker Lodge to buy a microwave oven and kettle.

 

 

 

BBQ and Village Consultation - Sunday 10 June 2007

 

 The Village Hall Committee celebrate the award of the Big Lottery Grant at the meeting held in March 2008

 

 

We would be delighted to hear from other villages who have either built or are hoping to build a village hall. We are keen to learn from your experiences and pass on the lessons we have learnt so far. Please contact us.

 

Many years ago, Bruisyard did have a successful village hall which was known as the 'Iron Room'. This was a Victorian corrugated-iron Sunday School building. The building has to be demolished in the mid 1960's as it was structurally unsafe and even the basic repair costs were prohibitive. Despite this building having no electricity or running water, it was greatly loved and much used by the community. Even 40 years on, it is fondly remembered as the social hub of the community where many couples met and several had their wedding receptions - the dances held at the 'Iron Room' are still mentioned today by many of the elderly residents in the area. The cost of building a new village hall and the lack of a suitable site have been a hugh barrier for the community in recreating the 'Iron Room'. The purchase by the Parish Council of the land which is now the Parish Park has provided an ideal location for a village hall. Our hope is that we can deliver a community centre for the village which will help recreate the community spirit and social interaction lost over 40 years ago.

 

To download the press articles published on the village hall;