After the turmoil of 2010, 2011 has been a rather fallow year. We are little further forward regarding the Thurston Under Fives move out to a new building and nothing at all has been heard from the Scouts regarding their wish to utilise the loft space here.
It is now ten years since the hall was reopened after the lottery funded refurbishment and on the whole it has stood up well to the extensive use it gets. I had thought to have some sort of celebration this year to commemorate the sinking of the Titanic but had no support from other village organisations and as my family is taking up more of my time I decided against it.
The main hall floor was sanded and resealed last August but is already looking quite worn again. I am in touch with the flooring people and have asked them to come and look at it.
Thanks to Clare Tope we now have new work surfaces in the kitchen. She alone sourced the workmen and organised the programme of work within the budget we set her which we are extremely grateful for.
Thanks to a chance remark while talking to the administrator at New Green, my despair about not being able to find a plumber was remedied by someone (“Cliff”) visiting the office there and Ed Metcalf sprang into action sourcing and fitting two new taps for us in the Ladies and Gents cloakrooms one of which has been broken since early December. This goes to show how much better it is to work together within a community. I don’t even know the surnames of one of these men but they have been real stars.
We are now concerned about the rendering on the end wall of the building which has a large crack in it and will need attention before it falls away completely. We had hoped it might be dealt with when the Scouts began work on the external staircase but this does not look likely to happen at any time in the near future.
We have lost the fortnightly Tuesday
Bridge group this year and the Mothers’ Union may leave us when the Church Room
is completed.
We were saddened to hear of the death of Peter Anderson of the Well Foundation
which has been a very good and appreciative hirer of the hall.
The Under Fives proposed purpose built premises beside the pavilion is currently in the hands of the solicitors of the County and Parish Council who are thrashing out the legalities of land ownership so no time scale on the TuFs leaving us is known.
As always I extend my gratitude to Steve Taylor for keeping the accounts and the other members of the management committee for continuing to support the running of the hall and especially those who came together for a work day in August to give the hall a good clean and tidy inside and out.
On behalf of us all and those who use the hall, I extend my thanks to Heather Friend for cheerfully fulfilling her duties as Booking Secretary so well and to Kim Carberry our cleaner too.
Thanks also to Andy Sander who has audited the accounts again this year for the last time. We wish him well in his move and thank him on behalf of the hall and the village for all he has done in his capacity as a past chairman and auditor.
I have every intention of standing down at the AGM next year.