16 October 2024 - Mission Hall Newsletter
Dear All - We want to update you on a couple of important topics about the Mission Hall.
The Lease: After getting strong support from the village, we approached the St Andrew’s Church PCC (Parochial Church Council) to ask for the Lease of the Hall to be extended. The current Lease ends in 2029, and we have asked for it to be extended as soon as can be arranged for a 40-year period. I am happy to say that the PCC have supported this Lease extension strongly, and the detailed document is now being prepared by the church Solicitors. We are very grateful to the PCC for their help and support.
Improvements and Renovations: Having confidence that the village will continue to enjoy the use of its Hall for the foreseeable future, we wrote a specification for a set of improvements and repairs to put the Hall into a good state, relying significantly on the results of a Building Survey we commissioned (we are grateful to the Trustees who have run the Hall since 1999 for the generally good state of the building). We went out for tenders, and have just selected a builder, Mike Fuller, to do and manage the work for us. We hope that the main work will start on January 6th, and last about 6 weeks, during which time sadly the Hall will have to be closed. Some work will be done in December, but the Hall will only need to be closed for odd days, without disruption to our regular Hirers.
Here is a list of the works that will be done:
- Double-glazed windows - these will be to the same overall design as the existing windows, in timber, with clear glass for the top panes to give the Hall better light, and with a more modern hinge mechanism and better draft-proofing;
New heating - we will remove the four wall heaters, and have six overhead Infra-Red heaters, which should very efficiently make the room (and particularly the people in the room) extremely cosy;- A new tiled floor, and damp-proofing work for the walls, in the “gents” WC behind the stage;
- Insulation of the loft space above the Hall, and woodworm treatment and better ventilation for this space;
- Repairs to the main floor, replacing joists under the floor where damp has penetrated through the outer walls; also woodworm treatment for the under-floor space;
- Additional air-bricks and a slightly lower ground level around the Hall, to prevent further damage to the under-floor timber;
- Lower and make good the chimney on the north outside wall of the Hall, which is causing damp problems;
- Minor repair work to the roof;
- Decoration throughout, inside and out, to make the Hall a brighter and more attractive space.
This work will cost just over £58,000. That expense has been made possible by the careful stewardship of our predecessors as Trustees, by years of fund-raising events (for which our great thanks to all the villagers who have helped make these a success), and also in particular by Sue Cottam’s amazing work recently bringing in an awesome amount of grant funding over the last year or so.
We’re confident this work will all help to protect the building for the following generation, and ensure the Hall is a pleasant and valued venue for village events.
There are two other things that we will be doing before the Hall reopens next February. First, using money very kindly donated by some of her friends in memory of Barbara Harrison, we will be obtaining a Mission Hall name-sign to hang outside the Hall, similar to this photo. Second, using yet another grant obtained by Sue, we intend to replace the chairs in the Hall with ones that we hope will be more comfortable as well as lighter to carry about.
To get all this work done, we will need to clear the Hall. Furniture can be stacked at the centre of the Hall, but there are quantities of equipment that will need to be stored elsewhere. Any offers of (a) storage boxes and (b) garage space that could be made available for the work period would be really welcome. As would any volunteers that would be willing to spend some time between Christmas and New Year clearing the Hall. If you are able to help in any of these ways, please get in touch with Bill Egerton (07734 0040883 or
Jobs for the future: Our works specification included a number of jobs that, sadly, cannot be afforded at present unless some fairy godmothers/fathers were to come along. These jobs are:
- Skirting board around the walls of the Hall to improve the junction between the floor and the walls (this would have cost about £1000);
- Replacement guttering (£1500);
- Replacement lighting that is brighter and dimmable (£2800);
- Repair work to the porch (£3600);
- A proper fire-door at the north-east corner of the Hall (£700).
We will keep these in mind for the future, and will continue fund-raising in earnest so they can be done at some time.
Kind regards
The Trustees
Sutton Poyntz Mission Hall