When the new village hall at Harmans Cross opens in the early summer it will boast a commercial kitchen, a smaller servery, the latest audio and visual equipment and a state-of-the-art ground-source heating system.

These special facilities - made possible by a £134,411 grant from the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) - will mean that as well as being the hub of village life, the Dorset hall will be able to stage a wide range of shows and events for the community and organisations across the district.

“The hall will be used as an educational, recreation and sporting facility and potentially as a doctor’s surgery,” said Bob Evans, a retired business executive who is the village hall committee’s .managing agent “It will also provide an excellent venue for conferences, small and large meetings and exhibitions.

“We expect about 60 different organisations to use it, including people who want internet access and computer training which will be provided by the “Connecting Dorset” programme,” he said.

The new hall will replace a fast-deteriorating 1950s ex-army hut. It is estimated that the new building – double the floor size of the current hall – will increase the current revenue, while the ground-source heating with its associated heat vent recovery system should reduce running costs.

The construction costs of the project are being met by the Big Lottery Fund (grant of £250,000), grants from Dorset County Council and others (totalling £334,000) and the Village Hall committee itself has raised more than £100,000 towards the capital works.

“One of the aims of RDPE is to support services that improve the quality of life for people living in our rural communities,” said Andy Wood, head of place-making and partnerships at the South West RDA, which manages RDPE in the region.

“The extra facilities at Harmans Cross will widen its appeal and make it more versatile, so it will be of greater benefit to the community at large.”

Ends

For further information, please contact Pat Murray, of the South West RDA press office, on 07733264756 or Alan Stephenson, of Harmans Cross Village Hall, on 01929 477125 or by email at graphsteph@aol.com

Return to Graphics Mode